The Lady In Black
by Fifilafemme
Summary: AU Tea is suddenly being plagued by a series of strange dreams. Are they just dreams? Or is there more to them than meets the eye? Tea x Amelda Alister
1. New Life

Disclaimer: I do now own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me!

**A New Life**

_"I want that serum! So you'd better hand it over" hissed a woman as her red lips carefully accentuated each word "You do realize that your refusal to hand it over could result in endless suffering for you and your loved ones you?". The woman was a very beautiful woman with long black hair, piercing green eyes, red lacquered lips and nails, and she was clad in a black dress accentuated with a black fox fur wrap and a wide brimmed black hat. The woman had a cruel menacing look and it was directed at a brown haired, blue eyed man who was clad in a white labcoat holding a glass vial filled with a blue liquid in his hand. "I'll never hand it over to you!" shouted the man as he suddenly threw the vial to the ground and it shattered "I won't let you use my creation to harm mankind you treacherous viper!"_

_"You'll regret that Odysseus" growled the woman as she clenched her fist "You and all your loved ones will pay for this!". Suddenly everything went completely black as a dark mist surrounded everything. "You'll pay..."echoed the woman's voice through the darkness "You'll all pay..."_

BEEP BEEP BEEP

A small alarm clock sitting on a nightstand began to beep so loud that it resonated through the entire bedroom and then through the entire apartment. A brown haired girl was laying on the bed next and she didn't even stir. Finally after a good minute or so, the girl finally rolled onto her stomach and stretched out her arm in an attempt to turn off the alarm clock. She was still half asleep so she wasn't really able to figure out where the alarm clock was...so she had no choice but to open her eyes.

"Uhnnnnn" groaned Tea as she slowly opened her blue eyes, reached over, and turned off the alarm clock "Why did I just have that dream again?". Tea then slowly sat up in her bed, rubbed her eyes, and just took a few moments to ponder the strange dream. For the past days, Tea had begun to have the exact same dream about the woman in black and the man called Odysseus. It was always exactly the same and not a single detail ever changed during the dream. "I guess I need to stop watching so many soap operas" said Tea as she pulled herself out of bed "Then again it is summer vacation so it's alright I supp-OH NO!". At that moment Tea's mind finally came into focus so she jumped up, ran over to her dresser, and looked at the calendar.

"Oh no!"shouted Tea as her eyes grew bigger when she realized that it was precisely what she thought "Today's my first day of college!". She immediately began to dash like crazy all over her apartment in a frantic attempt to find something decent to wear.

For many years Tea had dreamt of going off to New York in order to study at one of the most prestegious dance. The school was extremely expensive and even though Tea saved alot of money, she still didn't have enough money to go. There was a very large university in Domino(which offered dance courses) and several smaller universities in the nearby towns. Tea felt heartbroken since she wouldn't get to go where she wanted, so she took a gamble and applied at the University of Domino. A few months later Tea was in complete shock when she recieved a letter letting her know that she had not only been accepted but she was being awarded a partial scholarship. She was happy yet disappointed at the same time. She happy since she was going to get some help paying for school, but disappointed since she wasn't attending the school she wanted. In the end though she realized that perhaps destiny had a reason for leaving her in Domino.

"Varon!"shouted Amelda at the top of his lungs as he knocked as hard as he could on the younger man's bedroom door "Hurry up! We're already late!"

Amelda was well dressed at that moment in a black suit, white dress shirt, and a blue necktie. His red hair was neatly and carefully styled into the usual flip that he seemed to favor. He looked absolutely impeccable and that's just the way he liked it. "Relax will ya?" said Varon as he opened up his bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway "Raph's not gonna be mad if we're a few minutes late". Varon's look was the complete opposite of Amelda's since it was more casual and disorderly. Varon wore a light blue dress shirt that matched his eyes and some black dress pants. His shirt was untucked though, his pants were a bit on the baggy side, and his wild brown hair looked completely unruly. "That's no excuse!" shouted Amelda as he glared at Varon with menacing grey eyes before he grabbed him by the arm "Now come on!". "Hey slow down mate!"shouted Varon as he got dragged down towards the garage "I didn't even have time to eat!".

After the Doom Organization disbanded, Raphael, Amelda, and Varon each went their seperate ways. The three just roamed throughout different parts of the world just trying to rebuild their lives. No could have imagined what destiny had in store for one of them, which in turn would affect the lives of all three.

Raphael came from an extremely wealthy family and before tragedy struck, Raphael's father had been the CEO of a very large company called Azure Inc. One day out of the blue, Raphael was contacted by several corporate lawyers who wanted to speak with him. "Raphael as the sole heir to your family's company and forture" said the one of the head lawyer who had actually known his father "You are the new CEO and this entire company is in your hands". "Me?" said Raphael as he glanced at the man with his piercing blue eyes "I don't know anything about business". Raphael honestly had no desire for his family's fortune since it meant nothing to him since he'd rather have his family by his side.

The tall blonde man then stood up and simply walked over to one of the windows of the high rise building and said "Find someone else to run the company". The lawyers began to murmur amongst themselves since they hadn't expected Raphael to respond in such a way. No though dared to approach him or argue with him, no one except the head lawyer. The lawyer quickly stood up and walked over to Raphael and simply said in a calm voice "Raphael I worked for your father many years and one of his biggest dreams was to see you take over this company one day". "But I'm not suited for the job" said Raphael as he looked down at the man who was about a foot and a half shorter than he was "I'm sure my father would have understood that". "But Raphael you're this company's last hope" said the lawyer as he glanced up at him "If you don't take over then the company will be bought out and it'll cease to exist". Raphael knew that his father had worked hard for many years to keep his company going. Now all eyes were on Raphael since his next words would either make or break the company.

There was complete silence in the room when Raphael turned around and calmly said "Alright I'll take over". The lawyers immediately got him to sign all the paperwork and it became official: Raphael was the new CEO. The Azure Inc. headquarters were located in the town of Domino, so Raphael had no choice but to move there. He felt very lonely though in his strange new life, so he decided to do something about it. Several weeks and thousands of phone calls later, Raphael finally managed to get ahold of both Amelda and Varon. The two young men went to Domino where Raphael immediately offered them jobs as his personal assistants and they both accepted. There was one problem though: Amelda and Varon would have to share an apartment since neither one could afford a place on his own.

"Oh great!" shouted Tea as she dashed down the street struggling to get her denim jacket on "I would be late for the first day of class!".

Tea was indeed running late since her first class was about to start and she still had quite a distance to go. Unfortunately for Tea, Yugi was attending the same school but he would be taking evening classes. Yugi decided that he would help his grandfather run their game shop during the day, even if this meant that he'd have to study at night. Joey and Tristan's years of clowning around and not studying finally took their toll since they didn't get into any university. Instead they both ended up at the local community college, but they promised to actually study hard this time. "I need to take a shortcut!"said Tea as she suddenly finally managed to get her jacket on "Otherwise I'll be late and I'll get dropped from my first class!". Tea's very first class happened to be her dance class, so there was no way she could possibly afford to be dropped from it. "Oh this wouldn't be happening if I had a car" groaned Tea as she stopped and tried to decide on the quickest shortcut "I'd be at school right now if I had one". Tea then quickly got off of the sidewalk, looked both ways, and jumped out onto the street since she assumed there were no cars on the street.

"I hate dressing like this!" complained Varon as he looked down at what he was wearing and fidgeted with his seatbelt "We can't even ride our motorcycles to work because of these clothes!".

Varon and Amelda were currently driving towards work as they did every morning, and as usual Varon was complaining. In they past neither one had ever really had to dress nicely for any reason, but when they started working for Raphael it was obvious that this would change. "Do you have to complain about that every damn morning?" said Amelda in an irritated tone of voice as he adjusted his sunglasses "Besides Raphael got us this car so we wouldn't have to ride our motorcycles to work". Amelda wouldn't admit it but he pretty much had the same thoughts as Varon since he indeed didn't really like having to dress up everday. He didn't mind doing so on special occasions, but it got quite tiresome to do so on a daily basis. He also missed riding his motorcycle which was currently parked next to Varon's in the garage where they lived. Currently the only time the two ever got to ride their beloved motorcycles was after work and on weekends.

Varon wasn't happy with the answer so he just crossed his arms, but not before realizing something. "Hey why don't you ever let me drive?" suddenly said Varon as he looked over at Amelda "This car is meant for both of us!". "Because I actually value my life" said Amelda as he glared over at Varon, but his dark sunglasses completely hid his eyes "But if I ever decide that I want to die young, then I'll let you drive". "Oh yeah?" shouted Varon jumped up in his seat "And what makes you think you're such a good-WATCH OUT FOR THAT GIRL MATE!". Amelda quickly hit the brakes and the car stopped only inches away from a girl who had appeared out of nowhere. "Where the Hell did she come from?" shouted Amelda as he snatched off his sunglasses as glared at the girl "Is she trying to get hit?"

"Oh my God!" shouted Tea who hadn't even realized what had nearly happened until she heard the screeching of tires and looked up "That was close!".

The two young men in the car just glared at her for a moment before one rolled down the window. "Hey watch where you're going!"shouted Varon as he stuck his head out the window "My friend nearly turned you into roadkill!". "Sorry about that!" shouted Tea as she suddenly took off running as quickly as she could "But I'm in a hurry to get to school!". She couldn't believe just how the first day of her new life was going, but at this point the only hope that the rest of the day went better. "Please let the rest of my day go better" thought Tea as she reached the other end of the street and jumped back on the sidewalk "I can't afford to screw up today!"

"Hey that girl seemed familiar didn't she mate?" said Varon as he turned around and watched Tea run off into the distance "Have we met her somewhere?". "I don't know and I don't care" said Amelda as he glanced down at his watch before hitting the gas again "All I know is that we're late again and it's all your damn fault!". They then proceeded as well on their way to yet another day of their new life as well.

Author's Notes:

Well I know I use the names Amelda and Varon instead of Alister and Valon, but there's a reason for this which will be seen later on in the story. Also I like dub Varon's accent(the Australian one) so I decided to use it in the story as well.

The other characters are going to make appearances in the next few chapters, so keep an eye open :)


	2. First Impressions

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:)

**First Impressions**

"How were you able to stand this stupid uniform?" complained Mokuba as he feverishly scratched the back of his neck "It makes my neck itch like crazy!".

It was also the first day of class at Domino High School, and for Mokuba it was also his very first day of high school. Mokuba was less than pleased with the blue uniform when realized just how uncomfortable it actually was. "Stop scratching yourself like that!" said Seto as he suddenly pulled Mokuba's arm away from his neck "I know it's not comfortable but you're old enough to deal with it". "Geez...what side of the bed did you wake up on?" said Mokuba as he glanced over at his brother "You've been pretty cranky for the past few days". Seto didn't respond at all and simply opened up his briefcase and began to organize some things in a portfolio. "Fine ignore me" said Mokuba with a disgruntled sigh as he headed into the living room "If you need me I'll be watching tv until the limo comes around, okay?".

Seto looked up, closed his briefcase, and just stared in the direction of the living room. He had indeed been acting strangely for the past few days, but Mokuba never would have suspected why. "I can't believe how quickly Mokuba is growing up.." thought Seto to himself "He's not a child anymore...". At that point Mokuba was fourteen years old and he was already almost as tall as Seto, but he was still the same cheerful person he had always been. Seto was having an extremely difficult time accepting that Mokuba was no longer a child, and the fact that Mokuba was already starting high school only served as another reminder. "Before I know it he'll be starting his first day of college" thought Seto to himself "And then...I'll be all alone"

"Ugh...tv at this time in the morning is so boring!" groaned Mokuba who had spent the last few minutes flipping through all the channels "Even with a satellite it's no use since there's nothing but crap on!".

Indeed there was absolutely nothing but ridiculous morning shows, game shows, talk shows, and a few news shows. After endless searching, Mokuba finally gave up and just left the tv on one of the news channels. _"And in today's local news today" _said the female reporter on tv "_ Azure Inc will hold a very large and very important fa-"_. Suddenly the tv turned off and as soon as Mokuba spun around he saw Seto standing there with the remote control in one hand and his silver briefcase in the other. "Hey!" cried Mokuba when he realized that Seto had turned off the tv "I was watching that!". "There's no time for that" said Seto with a serious look on his face "The limo's out front waiting for you..so you'd better hurry".

Suddenly Mokuba's face turned a bit pale and he spoke in a very soft voice. "Seto...do you think I'll make a good impression today?" said Mokuba whose eyes revealed how nervous he actually was at that moment "Do you think people will like me?". Seto suddenly tossed the remote control on the couch and put his hand on Mokuba's shoulder. Mokuba was a very social person but it was obvious that even he needed reassurance every once in awhile."I know you will" said Seto whose eyes had softened a bit at that moment "Now go get 'em kiddo". Mokuba then gave a smile, hugged his older brother, and ran out the door towards the waiting limo. "You're not a kid anymore.." thought Seto as he began to walk out towards the limo as well "But that doesn't matter since I know you're going to make me proud"

"Abigail Augustus?"

_"Here!" _

"Melina Adams?"

_"Here!" _

The entire classroom, which was in reality a dance studio of some sort, was filled with many girls of all shapes and sizes. Many of the girls were very nervous since it was their first day of college for and they could only wonder what was next. Other girls were relaxed and alot more laid back since they were already upperclassmen, so they knew the first day of school was no big deal. The teacher, who was a small black haired woman clad in a black leotard, continued calling roll and judging by the size of the class it would take awhile. In one case though, this was was a very VERY good thing.

"I've already been all over this stupid school and I still can't find my classr!" growled Tea as she stared down at the schedule of classes in her hand "Would it kill them to put a map up or something?"

After nearly being run over by Amelda, Tea continued running like crazy and made it to the university in time...but there was one little problem: She had no idea where her first class. Tea ran up and down several floors and searched in at least three of the buildings, but still no luck. "Great...this is just great!" thought Tea to herself as she ran down a hallway "First I nearly get run over and now this! What else could possibly happen?". Tea was so caught up in her thoughts that she completely failed to notice a young man carrying a large stack of books. "I can't believe I can't find my class" said the young man as he struggled to look at this class schedule while carrying the books "They should put a map on-". Before he could finish his thought though, he found himself flat on his back and his books scattered all over the ground after Tea walked into him.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry! I should have been paying more attention!" exclaimed Tea with a look of shock on her face when she realized what she had done "Are you alright?". The young man pulled himself up, ran a hand through his messy red hair, and looked right at Tea with his steel grey eyes. "Nah I should have been paying more attention to where I was going" said the young man with an embarassed laugh "You wouldn't believe how many people I've run into this morning". They both laughed for a moment and then the young man suddenly said "Hey do you by any chance know where the science building is? It's my first day and I'm a little lost". "We're in the same boat since it's my first day and I can't find the fine arts building" said Tea as she felt her cheeks burn red with embarassment "But I just came from the science building". "Hey it looks we ran into each other for a reason!" said the young man with a big smile on his face "I just came from the fine arts building!". They quickly pointed each other in the right direction before running off at full speed.

"I can't believe this" said Raphael with an exasperated sigh as he spoke to someone on the phone "How did my father's company go from being a pharmaceutical company to this? I don't understand it"

Raphael was about to attend a very important meeting that morning, but after reading through the agenda he was shocked to discover what his father's company had become. Azure Inc was one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world and it was also a company known for it's many advances in medicine. Unfortunately Raphael discovered that after his father had died, the interim CEO had sold out most of Azure Inc to another rival pharmaceutical company. "Obsidian Inc made an extremely generous offer, an offer that the greedy fool just couldn't resist" said the senior corporate lawyer nervously on the other end as he wiped the sweat off his brow "We had to save what was left of the company and this was the only way, but at least now we have you to ensure it never happens again". Raphael listened as the lawyer tried his best to explain why he and his colleagues had been forced to take such drastic measures, but he still wasn't convinced.

Suddenly some shouts from outside momentarily got Raphael's attention and he immediately realized who it was. "Look I'm going through with this because I gave my word" said Raphael "But we'll have to continue this conversation another time". No sooner had Raphael hung up the phone, the door to his massive office flew open and in ran Varon and shouted "We're here!".

"You're late again" said Raphael in a stern tone of voice "A few more minutes and you'd have broken your old record". "And all because Varon overslept as usual" muttered Amelda as he slowly walked in after Varon "If it was up to me I'd leave him at home"."Sorry mate" said Varon as he sat on Raphael's desk and gave a huge grin "Besides it's not like anything important is happenin' today right?". In all honesty Raphael was happy to have his two closest companions there, so it didn't really matter to him what they did. "Actually Raphael has to attend a meeting in five minutes" said Amelda as he looked down at his watch "Or did you forget?". Amelda and Varon could never seem to get along, and Raphael could only imagine the fights that went on at home now that they were roommates. "Um...no" said Varon who was obviously lying "I didn't forget about the meetin'...lets go!"

The three quickly exited the office which was located on the top level of the Azure Inc building, and got on the elevator which would take them down to the meeting. Varon began to hum mindlessly while jingling some change in his pocket. Amelda just tried his best to ignore him and looked at all the numbers on the elevator buttons. "I can imagine the look on their faces when they see what the "meeting" is all about" thought Raphael to himself as he looked at his reflection in the elevator doors "I never would have imagined any of this a few months ago". Raphael honestly didn't recognize himself at that point since he was now dressed up in a dark grey suit with a dark blue tie. He knew that in a few minutes he'd have to face a whole new group of people who he never thought he'd have to associate with in a million years. "Varon stop doing that already!" suddenly shouted Amelda "We still have floors left and I can't take it anymore!".Varon just grinned and defiantly began to jingle the change even louder. "Well at least I won't be alone" thought Raphael as he looked at the two young men also being reflected in the elevator door "So...on with the show".

"Thorin Faulkner?"

_"Here!"_

"Tea Gardner?"

"Is Tea Gardner here?" said the teacher as she looked down at her roll sheet "Alright...I guess I'll just have to cross her off the list". "Wait! I'm Tea Gardner!" cried Tea as she quickly opened the door and stumbled into the class "I just had a little trouble finding the class". Tea was a complete mess at that point she since she was out of breath, sweating like crazy, and she could hardly even stand up. "Miss Gardner I hope this isn't a habit" said the teacher in an extremely stern tone of voice "I greatly frown on tardiness and I expect my students to be on time...no exceptions". A few of the girls began to snicker and whisper amongst themselves, but one girl didn't bother to hide her opinion. "Talk about making a good first impression" sneered a very beautiful blonde haired girl with blue-green eyes as she looked straight at Tea "Ooh maybe we should all be late from now on".

Tea frowned and tried her best to ingore the snickers and whispers incited by the smart alecky blonde's comments while the teacher finished calling roll. "Who the hell does she think she is?" thought Tea angrily to herself as she glanced over at the blonde who had a smug grin plastered across her beautiful face "What a bitch...". "Alright class I'd like to welcome you to Modern Dance 101" said the teacher as she extended her arms "My name is Miss Esmeralda and I'm sure it'll be a pleasure working with all of you ladies".

"Raph...are we on the right floor?" said Varon as he observed their final destination as they stepped out of the elevator "This place looks more like the stage for a beauty pageant or something"

Indeed there was a long stage/runway with an enormous dark blue curtain surrounding part of it and it had the word "Azure" printed on it in sky blue letters. There were many people seated all around the stage, including many photographers and a few members of the local media. Raphael kept very quiet and at that moment a woman clad in an outlandish looking hot pink dress suit and a fuzzy hat ran over to him and exclaimed "We've been expecting you sir! Please let me show you to your seats!". The past few weeks had been strange for Raphael since people were now trying to do everything humanly possible to please him. Unfortunately they didn't realize that Raphael hated this and preferred to be treated like an ordinary person, and not some rich tyrant. Amelda silently followed Raphael and the "pink" lady, but Varon just kept saying "So this is the right place? What kind of a meetin' is this?"

"Here we are!"said the "pink" lady as she led them to the last three seats available in the very front row "I'll let them know we can start now!". "Thank you" muttered Raphael as he quickly sat down and his two companions did likewise. She quickly made her way up to the stage, picked up a microphone, and said "Ladies and gentlemen it is now my pleasure to welcome you to Azure Inc's Fall fashion show!". All of the people present clapped wildly and the curtain was finally opened to reveal the rest of the stage. "WTF?" said Varon as he looked all around "This is a fashion show? What happened to the meetin'?". Amelda didn't say anything but he seemed just as confused, so Raphael knew it was time to clear things up. "I just found out that Azure Inc isn't a pharmaceutical company anymore since it was almost completely bought out..." said Raphael in a calm yet noticeably unhappy tone as he looked straight ahead at the stage"Now it's home to some fashion designers...and this is why we're at this fashion show". Much to Raphael's surprise neither one laughed or said anything since they honestly didn't know what to say. The situation was very strange yet very serious and now was not the right time to talk about it.

Although... they both secretly had the same though: Raphael having to attend a ladies fashion show was kind of funny.

_**Several Hours Later**_

"Okay I've already been to dance and sociology" said Tea as she glanced down at her schedule "So it looks like history is my last class for today"

Despite the embarassment suffered in her first class, the rest of Tea's day was actually pretty good. The only unusual thing though was that she seemed to keep running into the same redhead she bumped into earlier that day. "It's probably just a coincidence" said Tea as she opened the door to the classroom "What? I can't believe this!". Surely enough there sat the same redhead in one of the desks and he seemed just as surprised to see her. "I guess they stick all us freshmen in the same classes huh?" said the redhead with an amused look on his face as she walked in. He was also wondering why he kept running into Tea as well..but mostly because he was still pretty embarassed. "Well I guess I'd might as well introduce myself now" said the young man as she took a seat near him"My name's Alex". "I'm Tea" said Tea who still felt felt bad about running into him "Well..at least we both found our way to this class. Alex just laughed and was about say something when he was interrupted.

"Alex? Alex DeWinters?" suddenly squealed an all too familiar and annoying voice "Ahh it is you! I just had to come in and say hi!". At that moment the same blonde girl from Tea's class, ran up and suddenly hugged Alex. She squeezed him as hard as she could and it was obvious that he didn't exactly like this. "Oh..uh it's nice to see you too Arielle" said Alex as he quickly pushed her away "Well class is about to start so catch you later". Alex obviously didn't want to talk to her and Arielle didn't understand why...until she saw Alex direct his attention to Tea. "_You've just made a big mistake Late Girl" _thought Arielle to herself as she gritted her teeth and stormed out the door _"I've had my eye on Alex for years and he will be mine!"_

"Phew..." said Alex with a big sigh of relief as he quickly looked in the direction of the door "I thought she'd never leave!". "You're not the only one" thought Tea to herself as she casually crossed her legs "I don't know what the Hell her problem is and frankly I don't care"

"And this stunning creation is the centerpiece of the fall collection!" said the "pink" lady a model walked out onto the runway "It's by the always incredible designer: Constantina!".

The outfit in question was a very hideous dress that looked like a black trashbag, wrapped over a christmas tree, and then topped off with copper wire. So far almost all of the outfits they had seen in the past hours were equally hideous, but luckily the show was almost over. The audience oohed and aahed at the dress, but not everyone was convinced. "What the Hell is that thing?" shouted Varon as he looked up at the stage "It looks like a pile of garbage!". A few people whispered and gave him some mean looks, but he didn't care. Raphael said absolutely nothing since he was trying his best not to laugh out loud at the comment. Varon's ability to always say what was on his mind never ceased to amaze Raphael. "For once I agree with Varon since that does look like a pile of garbage" thought Raphael to himself "I can't believe anyone would actually wear such a stupid thing". Amelda looked very annoyed and only wished he could switch seats with Raphael in order to punch Varon and shut him up.

"Stupid Varon..." muttered Amelda under his breath "Of course that thing is hideous! I think everyone here realizes that"

_"It has a certain charm to it...but not everyone would see the work of art it truly is"._

"Huh?" said Amelda as he looked up and realized that the woman sitting next to him had spoken "What did you say?". The woman had shoulder length black hair and was clad in a black dress suit, black heels, and she wore some black rimmed glasses which accentuated her brown eyes. The only exception to her all black attire was red lipstick and red nail polish "_Do you think she likes black?"_ thought Amelda to himself _"Then again everyone at this damn fashion show seems to be a weirdo". _

"That outfit is very unique" said the woman as she suddenly pulled out and lit a cigarette "It takes a certain eye to appreciate the entire concept". "That thing is the ugliest thing I've ever seen" said Amelda who didn't like the fact that this woman was talking to him "And anyone who actually buys it is an idiot". Suddenly the woman knocked the ashes off of her cigarette...right onto Amelda's lap. Amelda just gritted his teeth is anger since he wasn't about to continue arguing with this obviously crazy woman. "Oops so sorry about that dahling!" said the woman not even bothering to look at Amelda "It was an accident". Amelda tried his best to ingore her, but then she took a long drag of her cigarette and exhaled the smoke...right in Amelda's face.

"THAT'S IT!" shouted Amelda as he jumped out of his seat and caused everyone around to look at him "I'VE HAD IT! IF ANYONE NEEDS ME I'LL BE ANYWHERE BUT HERE!".

He immediately began to make his way through the murmuring crowd and and out towards one of the many exits. "Talk about a drama queen!" snickered Varon as he looked at Amelda walking off "I guess it's that time of the month". Raphael looked over at the woman in black and frowned since he had seen the entire incident. "What? He couldn't take a little joke?" said the woman in black as she glanced over at Raphael "That's quite a little temper your friend has Raphael dahling".

"I expect to see you in my office tomorrow at 9am sharp" said Raphael as he narrowed his eyes andcrossed his arms"And Constantina...I wouldn't be late if I was you"

"Bye Alex!" said Tea as she and her new friend walked out of the college and onto the nearby street "See you tomorrow!"

Alex waved goodbye to her and walked off in the opposite direction. Tea was so happy that the first day was over and now she couldn't wait to just get home. "I wonder how Joey and Tristan's first day was?" thought Tea "I just hope they didn't sleep through it or get dropped out of class". Judging by the time Yugi was probably already on his way to his first class, so she'd have to speak to him later on.

Suddenly a car honked and Tea quickly spun around and saw a limo there on the street. "Hey Tea!" said Mokuba as he rolled down the window and poked his head out "Guess what? I just survived my first day at Domino High". "Domino High...nope doesn't ring a bell" said Tea with a sudden smile and a laugh "So what did you think?". "Well it was pretty good up til the end..." said Mokuba with a slight grin "That's when Captain Bringdown...I mean Seto called me and told me to get home right away and start studying". "Mokuba, Mr. Kaiba said he expects you home within the next five minutes" suddenly the chauffeur "Sorry about that...". Mokuba then rolled his eyes and then waved goodbye to Tea and was quickly on his way back to the Kaiba Mansion.

"Stupid crazy woman.." muttered Amelda as he walked down a street a few blocks away from the Azure Inc headquarters "Now everyone probably thinks that I'm just as crazy as she is!"

Amelda was in the worst possible mood at that moment and he was just wandering aimlessly since he didn't feel like going back. He was usually quite good at controlling his temper...well except when Varon was around.Unfortunately today wasn't one of those days and he felt like a complete idiot. He was pretty deep in his thoughts so he was completely unaware of what was going on. At that moment he turned a corner andsomeone suddenly bumped right into him. "Oh I'm so sorry about that" said Tea who couldn't believe that she had plowed into yet another redhead "Are you alright?". "I'm fine..." muttered Amelda as he glanced down at the girl who had bumped into him._ Stupid girl..._

When Tea got a good look at him, her eyes opened wide and she said "You...you were part of the Doom Organization weren't you?"

Suddenly Amelda's cold grey eyes narrowed and he hissed "How do you know that? Who are you?". "My name is Tea" said Tea as she looked up at him "I'm one of Yugi Moto's friends". Indeed he slowly began to remember the girl, but he hated the fact that she had just brought up the Doom Organization since it was something he wanted to forget. "I remember that it was Raphael, Varon, and you" said Tea as continued looking up at him "Although I'm not really sure what your name is". "And that's none of your damn business" suddenly snapped Amelda in his harshest tone of voice "And whatever else you may know...you'd better keep it to yourself". Suddenly he stormed off since he honestly didn't want to deal with this stupid girl since his day was bad enough already.

"What was his problem?" said Tea as she frowned and looked at him go off into the distance "And I thought Kaiba was the biggest jerk around...well looks like he's got competition"

To be continued...

Author's note: Thank you so much for all of the reviews. Wahh I'm so sorry that this chapter was so sucky, but it does lead up to something! The other characters should be in by the next chapter so keep an eye out! Hugs and kisses:)


	3. Apathy

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, any of the charcters, so don't sue me:)

**Apathy**

"Mom I'm home!" shouted Tea as she entered her apartment and closed the door behind her "You won't believe how many things have gone wrong today!"

Tea was pretty exhausted at that point so immediately proceeded to her bedroom so she could drop off her things. Tea and her mother had lived in the small yet nicely furnished two-bedroom apartment for as long as she could remember. Tea's father had died when she was only about two-years old though, so her mother had raised her all alone. Tea's mother was an extremely secretive person and she honestly didn't like to talk much about anything in the past. This annoyed Tea since she loved her mom very much, but completely failed to understand her.

"Mom?" said Tea as she exited her bedroom and realized that a few minutes had passed and still no response "Mom? Are you home?".

Tea assumed that her mom might still be at work, but then again she might be locked up in her bedroom. She was about to knock on the bedroom door when she noticed an envelope taped to the door and written on it was "Tea". Tea immediately pulled the envelope down, tore it open, and pulled out the paper to see what her mother had to say.

_"Dear Tea,_

_I know you're probably going to think that I've completely lost my mind..but I still have to tell you. Sometimes you think that life was passed you by and your time in the spotlight is over, but other times you might get a second chance. Well darling my second chance has come and I have to take it before it's too late! I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I left you more than enough money to pay the rent for a few months at least. Take care darling and be sure to do all of your homework. Love Amneris...I mean Mom"_

"What?" shouted Tea with a look of complete disbelief on her face as reread the note several times just to make sure "I can't believe this is happening!"

She then crumpled the note in her hand, threw it on the ground, and looked away. Tea's mother was a strange person, but at this point she had outdone herself. Tea then walked over the couch and picked up the phone since she really needed to talk to someone...preferrably a psychiatrist.

"Stupid lock..."muttered Amelda under his breath as he struggled to open up the front door of the apartment he shared with Varon "It keeps getting stuck ever since Varon was stupid enough to open it with a screwdriver when he lost his keys!"

After awhile Amelda got tired of walking, so he just decided to go home since he knew he'd have the place to himself. The only thing he wanted was to get out of the uncomfortable clothes he was wearing and just relax on his bed. After a few minutes he was finally able to get the front door open, but as soon as he stepped inside he felt like running back outside.

"What the Hell?" said Amelda as his jaw dropped and he stared at the condition the living room was in "Why does he always do this?"

The living room looked as if though a hurricane had hit it or something. The carpet was almost completely hidden by magazines, empty soda cans, some empty take-out containers, junk mail, sofa cushions, a pizza box with pizza still in it, and it was all courtesy of Varon. Amelda was disgusted but too tired to care, so he simply walked into his bedroom.

Amelda's bedroom was rather small and hardly furnished, but he kept it impeccably clean.The bed was very neatly made and had a blue comforter and pillows that seemed to perfectly match the color of the lamp on the nightstand. There was also a nice cream colored rug that was absolutely spotless and they matched the color of the curtains on the window located directly over the bed. There was a dresser in front of the bed and there was nothing on it except for a tv, dvd player and the keys to Amelda's motorcycle. The only other piece of furniture in the room was a lone chair that was off in a corner.

Amelda gave a deep sigh, quickly took off his jacket,pulled off the tie he was wearing, tossed them onto the chair, and finally tossed himself onto the bed.

"I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to this" sighed Amelda as he looked straight up at the ceiling with his steel grey eyes "This life feels so vague and empty...then again that's what is"

Ever since the Doom Organization disbanded, Amelda was forced to take a whole new look at his life. When Dartz's lies were revealed and the entire truth came into the light, Amelda no longer knew what to believe. He could no longer blame Kaiba Corp for all of his suffering since Dartz had been the true culprit. And now even though Raphael was giving him and Varon a chance to start a whole new life, there was one thought that he just couldn't get out of his head.

"I'm all alone in this world..."said Amelda with an anguished look in his grey eyes as he continued looking up at the ceiling "All I have left is memories...nothing more than memories".

He looked over, opened up a drawer on his nightstand, and pulled out two items: a silver locket and a charred toy robot. While most people would have regarded these items as junk, they meant everything to Amelda since they were all he had left of his family. He very cautiously opened the locket up and when he laid eyes on the picture of his mother, his eyes softened. She look just like he had always remembered and in this particular picture she seemed to be smiling right at him. He then glanced over at the toy robot and as soon as he did, Miruko's sweet, innocent, and trusting little face appeared in his mind.

"Mom...Miruko" said Amelda as he felt his body beginning to tremble involuntarily as he held these items in his hands "I have nothing to live for...I want to be with you two again"

Suddenly a wave of darkness washed over Amelda and he fell into a sudden state of unconsciousness. The locket and the toy robot remained tightly clutched in his hands.

**Several Hours Later**

"Can you guys believe she did this?" said Tea as she sat on the couch with Joey and Tristan "I swear that woman is having a midlife crisis or something!"

"But dis isn't the first time your mom's just left like that" said Joey as he looked over the note and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair "Remember dat time she went off ta Europe without ya?".

SLAP!

"Ow! What was dat for?" said Joey as he rubbed his head right on the spot where Tea unexpectedly hit him "What'd I do?"

"You're not exactly helping!" said Tea as she sunk down into the couch "This is serious! Besides...this time I don't even know where she is"

"Well she should be back soon enough right?" said Tristan as he took the note from Joey and began to look over it "Besides it's not like she ran off for good and left you all by yourself just cause you're in college now right?"

Joey quickly jumped back since he was almost pretty sure that Tea was going to leap across the couch and slap Tristan for that comment. Instead a look of complete sadness and confusion came over Tea's face and she slowly sank down on the coach. Tea was usually the happy and optimistic one, but only at this point did they realize just how seriously this situation was affecting her.

"My mom is the most apathetic woman ever!" said Tea as her dark blue eyes slowly began to fill with tears "She never really cares what's going on with me...she's so selfish!"

"Don't say that Tea" suddenly said Joey who didn't like to see his friend suffering "I'm sure she cares about your...she jus has a weird way of showin it"

"Yeah I mean she did leave you rent money after all right?" said Tristan as he racked his brain for appropriate things to say "If she didn't care then she wouldn't have left anything right?"

Knock Knock

Tristan was quite lucky since before Tea got a chance to slap him senseless for his "thoughtful" comment, there was a knock on the front door so she got up to see who it was. Much to her surprise there stood none other than Yugi with a backpack in his hand. Joey had called Yugi and left him a voice message about Tea's situation, and apparently he got it. At this point though Yugi had a bit of a growth spurt so he was about the same height as Tea. His voice had also deepened a bit, but he was still the same Yugi. "Yugi" said Tea as she suddenly threw her arms around him and gave him a very tight hug. Yugi was her oldest friend and they had been with each other through good times and bad.

"Well she did again Yugi" said Tea as she slowly pulled away from it "Amneris Gardner is on yet another one of her spur of the moment trips"

Yugi knew that Tea was pretty mad at her mom since she had the habit of calling her by her first name whenever they had some sort of disagreement. Then again Yugi wasn't that surprised since every few years Tea's mother would take off unexpectly, but she'd always returned home very quickly.

"I wouldn't worry about it so much Tea" said Yugi as he looked at her with his beautiful violet eyes and a warm smile "You should know by now that she'll come back, she always does"

"But she didn't even tell me where she went this time!" said Tea as she looked at him with a look of confusion and annoyance on her face "Is she trying to keep me from showing up and dragging her back here?"

"Trust me she'll be back" suddenly said Yugi as he gently took Tea's hand and held it in his own and gazed into her dark blue eyes "I know that she will...". Yugi was indeed Tea's oldest friend and for many years he had held a secret that he wasn't sure she was aware of: He loved her. He loved her and he would do anything to make her happy, but he honestly didn't know whether she cared for him or not. Although he sometimes wondered...

"Yugi you always know just what to say" said Tea as a small smile appeared on her lips as she looked at him, but then she looked over at Joey and Tristan "Unlike two other people in this room"

"Man...I don't know how he does it" said Joey as he looked over at Tristan with a confused look on his face "We've been tryin ta make her feel good for hours and nothin, then he jus comes in here says a few words and now she's happy!"

Tea then mockingly stuck her tongue out at them like a little kid, but at that point she actually felt alot happier. She was happy since she knew that she had three great friends who stuck by her no matter what and were there for her whenever she needed their support. "I'm lucky to have Yugi and those two knuckleheads over there" thought Tea as a big smile appeared on her lips "I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world"

_"Big brother! Big brother are you awake?" cried out a young child's voice "Come on wake up sleepyhead!". "Huh?" said Amelda as she slowly opened up his eyes and when he did, there stood Miruko smiling down at him. Miruko was wearing a red sweater with horizontal stripes, brown shorts, and he was holding his beloved toy robot. Miruko also had the same grey eyes as Amelda, but his hair was a different shade of red. Amelda then looked down and realized that he was no longer an adult, he was a pre-teen once again. "About time you woke up!" giggled Miruko as he tugged at his arm "Come on there's something I want to show you!". The little boy then took off running and motioned for his older brother to follow him. "Miruko?" said Amelda who couldn't believe what he was seeing "Wait come back!". There was nothing but darkness all around them and they kept running for quite a distance before Miruko suddenly came to a stop in a very strange spot. There was lone street lamp and it was shining down on a small and rather ornate looking black metal bench. "Is this what you wanted to show me?" asked Amelda as he looked down at Miruko "I don't understand...". Suddenly Amelda looked up once again and now there was a woman standing in front of the bench. She wore a long black dress, long black gloves, and shoulder length dark hair, but her face wasn't visible since her back was turned to them. "I wanted you to see her" said Miruko as he looked up at his big brother "The lady in black". "The lady in black?" said Amelda who was now completely lost "Who is-"_

Before Amelda even had the chance to finish his sentence, everything was suddenly surrounded by a dark mist. When the mist subsided, he realized that Miruko, the lady, and everything else had vanished. He was also an adult once again. "What's happening?" thought Amelda to himself as he looked around in the darkness "What the Hell is happening?"

_"Amelda!"_

"Huh?"

"Amelda!" suddenly cried Varon's voice as it echoed through the darkness "This isn't funny! Please wake up already!"

Varon came home shortly after Amelda and he knocked on his bedroom door to see if he was in there. Usually Amelda would have shouted at him and told him to either leave him alone or to go to Hell, but not on this day. Surpringly Amelda's bedroom door was unlocked, so Varon peeked inside and found him lying on the bed. He assumed that he was just sleeping, so he quickly closed the door and went off. A few hours later he came back and was surprised to find him still sleeping. He was still in the same spot and his face seemed unusually pale.He then noticed what Amelda had in his hands and it dawned on him. Why did Amelda have his mother's locket and Miruko's toy in his hands? What if he wasn't sleeping? What if he was..._Oh God!_

"Don't kick the bucket on me mate!" cried Varon hysterically as she shook Amelda as violently as he could "For the love of God wake up already!"

"Huh?" said Amelda as he slowly opened his grey eyes and was surprised to find Varon standing there shaking him like crazy "What are you doing? Stop shaking me already!"

Only then did Amelda realize that Miruko and everything else that he had seen was some sort of dream. _A strange dream._ Although probably not as strange as waking up and finding a frantic Aussie shaking the daylights out of him.

"You're alright?" exclaimed Varon with noticeable relief in his voice as he quickly let go of his friend and stepped back"What the Hell were you tryin' to do mate? Scare the crap outta me?"

"First of all what the Hell are you talking about?" said Amelda who was extremely annoyed and cranky at that moment "And second of all what the Hell are you doing in my room anyways?"

Varon frowned at him since he had honestly given him one of the biggest scares of his life, and on top of that he had the nerve to be annoyed! _Some people are just so ungrateful_...

"First of all I'm in here since I honestly thought you'd kicked the bucket!' said Varon as he glared down at him trying to look as mad as possible "Especially after the way you stormed off today!"

"You thought I was dead?" asked Amelda in a tone of complete disbelief and confusion at what Varon had said "Why would you think I'm dead? Are you high or something?"

"No...but why do you have those things out mate?" said Varon as he pointed to the locket and to Miruko's toy robot "You only bring both of those out when you're really depressed...so I just assumed"

Only then did Amelda look down and realize that he was indeed still holding on to the locket and the toy robot. He inwardly cringed a bit since he knew very well that Varon was right...well half right. For many years he had carried around Miruko's toy robot wherever he went as a reminder of what he wanted: Revenge for Miruko's death. It was a constant reminder of what he lost and looking at it constantly filled his heart with feelings of hatred and revenge. Now that the truth had been revealed, those days were behind him and the robot represented one thing: Miruko himself and the undying love he'd had for him. The locket had also filled him with such feelings as well since it constantly reminded him of how Miruko died when the tank he had been on exploded. That very locket saved his life since he had been off retrieving it when it fell off of Miruko's neck and therefore he had survived, while Miruko hadn't. It was a constant source of emotional pain, so he kept it hidden for many years. Now the locket had an entirely different meaning thought: It represented his mother and her undying love for him. He knew that wherever they were that they still loved him, but that didn't ease the loneliness he currently felt.

"So you thought I'd try to kill myself after the incident with that crazy woman?" said Amelda with a slightly amused look on his face "You've gotta give me a little more credit than that Varon"

"Yeah well you've been pretty pissed off ever since you had to start dressing like a bloke!" said Varon with a sudden grin and a twinkle in his sky blue eyes as he casually sat on the foot of the bed "What happened to that pansy tanktop of your anyways? I haven't seen it since-"

Varon didn't get a response from Amelda. Instead he got a firm kick to the butt that sent him flying off of the bed and right onto the floor. Amelda had a very satisfied grin on his face since he'd actually had the nerve to kick Varon in the butt for once. Varon just frowned at him and defiantly jumped back up on the bed...much to Amelda's dismay.

"My clothes are none of your concern" said Amelda in an annoyed tone of voice as he turned away and glanced over at a clock on his nightstand "Besides isn't it time for you to go do something else besides annoy me?"

"You're right, after all I wanna get up bright an early tomorrow!" said Varon as he rubbed the sore(and probably bruised) spot where Amelda had kicked him "Heheh there's no way I'm missing the show!"

"Show?" said Amelda as he raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Varon "What show are you talking about?"

"Raph's gonna yell at Constantina for what she did to you!" said Varon with a naughty grin on his face as he seemed to forget the pain and rubbed his hands together gleefully "I don't wanna miss it for the world!"

"_Constantina?"_ thought Amelda to himself since he remembered the name but he wasn't sure.Who the Hell was Constantina? He was certain that he had heard the name at the fashion show, but he honestly hadn't been paying much attention. He was about to ask, but Varon beat him to the punch.

"Oh yeah I forgot...you didn't stick around long enough" said Varon with a sudden impish grin as he remembered the whole incident "The crazy woman that was sitting next to you is some designer named Constantina and she made that ugly trashbag dress you insulted"

"That crazy woman next to me was Constantina?" said Amelda who suddenly understood why the woman had reacted in such a way "I guess she can't handle a little criticism can she?"

"Serves her right for selling stuff that looks like garbage!" said Varon as he pulled himself up and began to walk towards the door "Well g'night mate and don't ever scare me like that again!"

As soon as Varon closed the door, Amelda just gave a slight laugh and shook his head. Amelda had always secretly wondered about whether Raphael and Varon actually cared about what happened to him. For the longest time he just assumed that they were completely apathetic towards any aspect of his life. With each passing day though he slowly began to suspect otherwise. Now on this particular day though his suspicions had been confirmed: they did care about him. He was honestly thankful for it since he in turn also cared for them. Although he would never admit it to them...

_"Finally! All of these months of hard work have paid off!" exclaimed the brown haired, blue eyed young man as he held up a beaker filled with a pale blue liquid "With this serum I should be able to cure all sorts of neural disorders!". He was so excited that he completely failed to notice that a grey haired man was also in the lab and had heard every single word. "Madam it's finally happened" said the grey haired man in a white lab coat "The serum you wanted was successfully created". The man, along with four other men also clad in lab coats, stood in front of their boss. She was dressed completely in black and she was seated on a black leather desk chair so big, it almost seemed like a throne. She seemed like any ordinary woman, but the men feared her very prescence. "What? Where is it?" said the woman as her green eyes opened wide and she jumped up from the chair "Don't tell me you fools forgot to bring it?". Actually madam...none of us created it" said the grey haired man as he glanced at her "It was created by another chemist". "WHAT?" screeched the woman as her eyes filled with rage "Who is it? Tell me now!". "Don't worry madam" suddenly said a blonde haired man as he came forward "The chemist works right here...his name is Odysseus". "Odysseus?" said the woman as she immediately realized who it was "You mean a novice like him was able to do what you five imbeciles haven't been able to do for years?". The men quickly lowered their heads since they knew nothing good could come of this. "All of you are absolutely worthless..." hissed the woman in a dangerous tone of voice as she suddenly walked over and put on a black fur stole "Now get out of my sight!". The men quickly retreated into the shadows and left her all alone. Odysseus..." mused the woman as she adjusted her fur stole "With your serum my plan shall be complete!".The woman had a plan...a dark plan...a plan that had been missing the final piece. But now...she had found it._

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Unnnh..." groaned Tea as she slowly opened her eyes, stretched out her arm, and quickly turned off the alarm clock "Is it morning already?"

She quickly sat up, rubbed her eyes, and stretched her arms since she honestly hadn't really had a good night's sleep. She kept tossing, turning, and waking up every few minutes.Each time she closed her eyes she kept having visions of her mom having the time of her life on a cruise ship, so that completely disrupted her sleep. At some point though she eventually did manage to fall asleep, and that's when she began to have the strange dream. A dream that featured the same people as the other one, but from a different point of view.

"Why am I having these dreams?" groaned Tea as she slowly pulled herself up out of her bed and staggered over to the dresser "Who are those people anyways? I swear I really need to lay off the soap operas..."

She then began to dig around in the dresser in hopes of finding somethingnice to wear. It was a new day after all, a day that would hopefully be better than the previous one.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of the kind reviews! Wahh I'm sorry if this chapter seems kinda pointless but I promise(I really do) that it leads up to something! Anyways midterms are coming up(Boo!) but I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. Hugs and kisses!


	4. Black And Blue

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Black And Blue**

"What's the holdup?" shouted Seto impatiently as he sat in the back of his limo on his way to KaibaCorp "I'm supposed to be in my office in the next ten minutes!"

Traffic in downtown Domino was always pretty heavy in the mornings. Traffic was especially bad in the business district and at times it would come to a complete halt. Seto absolutely hated the situation since he was used to getting to his office at exactly 8am every morning. Unfortunately it looked like today wasn't going to be one of those days since the traffic wasn't moving at all.

"I'm sorry sir but there's a traffic jam due to the Obsidian Inc employees again" said the chauffeur as he tried his best not to crack under the cold harsh glaze of his boss "They're trying to get into the underground parking lot but they've backed up all the traffic"

"_Obsidian Inc..." _thought Seto as he quickly narrowed his eyes and looked straight out the window at the enormous line of cars backed up for several blocks _"They've been nothing but trouble since they expanded"_

Obsidian Inc was nothing new since the company had been around since Gozaburo Kaiba had been the CEO of Kaiba Corp. It had been a fairly small pharmaceutical company and oddly enough no one knew who ran it. Azure Inc was the biggest pharmaceutical in town, so Obsidian just lived in it's shadow.One day Obsidian Inc secretly began to buy out it's competitors one by one. After several years Obsidian Inc had grown to a considerable size but there was still one obstacle in it's path. Obsidian Inc was a very large company, but as long as Azure Inc was around, they would only be second best.

_"I don't know who the CEO of this company even is"_ thought Seto himself as he continued staring out the window as traffic began to move again _"But after what they did to Azure Inc..all I'm certain of is that they're ruthless"_

Indeed the day when Obsidian Inc was finally able to buy out their biggest rival finally arrived. Azure Inc had been having a bit of trouble since the person currently acting as CEO was nothing but a greedy fool with no real interest in the company. The CEO of Obsidian knew that this was the opportunity they had been waiting for and that it was time to dive down and make the kill. They weren't able to buy out the entire company as they would have wanted, but they managed to get more than enough of it. The once small Obsidian Inc was now at the top, while it's once mighty rival now lay shattered in pieces. As a monument to their triumph, the small building that had served as their headquarters was demolished and a new one was constructed in the same spot. The new Obisidian Inc building looked like an enormous black obelisk and it towered menacingly over all of downtown Domino. It was also a constant reminder to the companies all around that if they weren't careful...they too would end up like Azure.

Seto of course wasn't intimidated like all of the others when he saw the building like many others. In fact the building sometimes even reminded him of himself since they had one thing in common. They had both managed to overthrow a powerful enemy and rise to greatness. Now they were each the top of their league and there was practically no one who dared to challenge them.

_"They may be ruthless"_ thought Seto as he frown and stared at the Obsidian Inc building as they drove directly in front of it _"But not as much as I am"_

The frown suddenly turned into a slight smirk as the Kaiba Corp building finally came into view. It was the start of another day...another day being at the top.

_"Obsidian Inc.." _thought Raphael to himself as he frowned and gazed out the window of his office at the tall black obelisk "_Who's behind that company? Who?"_

Now that Raphael knew that Obsidian Inc was behind the downfall of his father's beloved company, he was determined to know more about them. Unfortunately no one even knew who the CEO of the company was, not even their name. It was almost impossible to fathom that such a large company could be run by a mystery CEO, yet it was exactly what was happening. Raphael tried not to give it too much though at the moment since he had other things to worry about.

"Sir?"

_"Hmm?"_

"I'm so sorry to disturb you sir" said the same senior corporate lawyer that assisted Raphael with all the legal and financial matters as he entered Raphael's office "I have the end of the month financial report and I'd like to review it with you"

"I'm sorry but I'll have to review it later on" said Raphael as he glanced down at his watch and realized that it was almost 9am "I'm going to have a meeting with Constantina in a few minutes"

"So you know sir?" said the lawyer with a surprised look on his face as he adjusted his glasses and looked up at the tall blonde man "I'm sure you were very pleased when you found out"

"What are you talking about?" said Raphael with a look of confusion on his face since he didn't quite follow "I called her here to talk about her behavior yesterday"

"Sir, Constantina's fashion line as "eccentric" as it brought in more money than anyone else" said the lawyer as he looked up at Raphael with a happy look on his face "The stocks have gone up and this company is moving up once more!"

Raphael blinked in complete disbelief at what he was hearing. He personally didn't care for Constantina, her clothes, or any aspect of the fashion world. It was something he didn't understand and honestly didn't care to understand. He was only putting up with everything since he wanted to protect what was left of his father's company. So it was a complete shock to hear that this crazy woman could actually be Azure Inc's salvation. _Although that still didn't excuse her behavior towards Amelda..._

"Well I'll be leaving now sir" said the lawyer as he quickly made his way to the door but not before turning around and smiling "I don't want to risk running into Constantina"

"At least you can go somewhere and avoid her" said Raphael with a slight chuckle as he looked at the older man leaving "I have no choice but to stay here"

"Alright it seems like everyone is here today and on time!" said Miss Esmeralda happily as she looked at her roll sheet "Lets get started shall we?"

After the embarassment suffered the previous day, Tea made it a point to get to class on time from now on. Fortunately now that she knew exactly where all of her classes were. Best of all she had met Alex so there was definitely no way she could ever forget since he had almost every class she did.

"Alright class right now I'll be doing a simple dance routine" said Miss Esmeralda as she walked to the center of the classroom "So I'd like you all to follow as best as you can"

Miss Esmeralda began to dance very gracefully and she was obviously a very accomplished dancer. She seemed to think that her dance routine was simple when in reality it was anything but. Many of the girls tried their hardest to follow her dance routine, while others got it very quickly. Tea tried to follow the dance routine as best as she could...but then something suddenly came to her mind.

_"Why am I having those weird dreams with that weird lady in black over and over?" _thought Tea as she continued dancing as best as she could _"Why do I keep having it? And why does it seem to keep changing?"_

Tea dismissed the dream as pure and utter nonsense brought on by watching too many soap operas at first. It seemed like pure nonsense but then why did she keep having it? Why did it always involve the lady in black and the young man named Odysseus? Strangest of all though was why did the dream seem to be unfolding in a strange way...almost like a story? Could it be trying to tell her something? Or was it really nothing more than her imagination running wild? Tea's mind continued to wander but she was snapped back into reality by a sudden cry from the teacher.

"Oh Tea you're doing marvelously!" cried out Miss Esmeralda excitedly as she continued doing her dance routine "Oh and Arielle you're doing quite well also"

"Oh wow you're actually here today on time?" said Arielle in a very sarcastic tone of voice as she gazed over at Tea with her blue-green eyes "How ever did you manage?"

"I just went to bed on time you know" said Tea with a defiant look on her face as she looked straight at her while still dancing "Instead of staying up and smothering poor innocent boys who don't want anything to do with me... like some girls do"

No one else was really sure what Tea was talking about, but Arielle knew exactly what she meant and it infuriated her. For years Arielle was used to be the best at whatever she tried. She loved being praised, admired, and getting everything she wanted. Now it seemed like Tea was getting in her way and trying to take away her glory and something more important as well. She didn't know exactly who this girl was and where she had come from, but just the fact that she was hanging around Alex made her certain of one thing.

_"I hate you so much!" _thought Arielle as continued dancing but not before she shot Tea the coldest most hostile glare humanly possible _"I_ _hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU!"_

_"Who the Hell does she think she is?"_ thought Tea to herself as she returned an even deadlier glare and continued with the dance routine_"I hope she never gets Alex or any other guy for that matter...no guy deserves to be stuck with her"_

Tea wasn't about to let some crazy girl intimidate her. She had done nothing to her at all, so Arielle had no right to attack Tea for no reason. Tea knew that this girl most likely hated her since she thought that she was trying to take Alex away from her. But how could that be? She had barely met the boy the day before. But if Arielle was looking for trouble...then she'd find it.

"Class we have a new student who couldn't be here yesterday" said the teacher as he addressed his entire health class which consisted of teens from every single grade "But she'll be joining us today so please make her feel welcome"

A few of the kids groaned, while others snickered, and a few of the guys seemed interested since it was a girl. Mokuba was curious to see who the girl was, so he turned his attention to the door. Suddenly a very pretty girl made her way into the classroom in the trademark pink blazer and blue skirt that all the girls in Domino High wore. She had long auburn hair, light brown eyes, an extremely pretty face, and she seemed a bit shy. She just stood there nervously while many of the boys grinned at her and the girls just stared at her jealously. Mokuba looked at her too and realized that she looked familiar.

_"I know I've seen here but where?"_ thought Mokuba as he looked at the girl standing at the front _"Wait a second...can it really be her?"_

_"This is so scary" _thought the girl as she looked at the entire class in front of her _"Then again this is the same high school where my big brother graduated from"_

"Alright I've already assigned a seat for you Miss Wheeler" said the teacher as he looked at his seating chart "You'll be sitting next to-"

"Serenity!" suddenly cried out Mokuba without thinking now that he realized that it was indeed Serenity Wheeler "Remember me?"

"Mokuba?" exclaimed Serenity who was surprised at the fact that she had run into someone who knew who she was "Is that really you?"

Serenity and Mokuba had met during the Battle City Tournament thrown by his older brother. It was a great time for Serenity since it was her first chance to see Joey duel after she got the eye operation she needed. Now two years had passed since that time and she had just moved back to Domino and was living with Joey. Now that she was seeing Mokuba again she remembered something. She remembered how Mokuba seemed to idolize his older brother in almost the same way she idolized hers.

"Mr. Kaiba I don't appreciate outbursts like that" said the teacher as he looked over at Mokuba for a moment "You know that I could give you detention for that right?"

"Sorry Mr. Foster..." muttered Mokuba since he knew that doing just about anything in Mr. Foster's class seemed to result in detention "It was an accident"

"Oh the other hand though it's good that you two know each other" said Mr. Foster as he smiled and turned to Serenity "Your seat happens to be next to Mr. Kaiba"

Joey had warned Serenity all about Mr. Foster and his tendency to give detention for almost anything so Serenity quickly made her way over the empty desk. Mokuba smiled at her and was only able to wave since he knew that even one more word out of him would land him in detention. Mokuba still had the same cheerful smile, violet-blue eyes, and messy raven black hair. The only difference was that he had obviously gotten alot taller. Serenity just smiled back at him and knew that any conversation would have to wait til recess. Hopefully they would be able to get to know each other better now and possibly be friends.

_"Well the day's just started and it's already going better than I hoped for" _thought Serenity as she smiled to herself and pulled out a notebook and a pen _"I guess Joey was right when he said that I'd have nothing to worry about"_

"So where is she mate?" exclaimed Varon looked around Raphael's office and noticed that no one else was there "It's 9am so where's Constantina?"

Varon had been so excited the he got up at 5am and was already fully dressed by the time Amelda even woke up. He then got revenge for all the times Amelda rushed him by barely giving him time to dress before dragging him out the front door.

"Hopefully far away from here" muttered Amelda who was very annoyed at Varon for dragging him out of the apartment "Far far away"

Raphael just shook his head and was about to speak, when the door to his office flew open and there stood Constantina looking as strange as ever. Today she was wearing a black blazer, a black skirt, black heels, black gloves, and to top it all off a black hat. The hat though happened to be the most ridiculous thing that any of them had ever seen. It was black, relatively flat, about the size of a large pizza, it had a black feather on the side, and it was tilted to the side making it look more like a flying saucer than a hat. It was a miracle that she was able to fit through the door.

"Well I'm here like you wanted Raphael dahling" said Constantina in a nonchalant manner as she sauntered into the office and headed towards Raphael "Now what did you want to speak to me about?"

"This is it mate!" whispered Varon gleefully as he pulled Amelda aside and anxiously awaited "She's gonna get exactly what she deserves!"

Suddenly Constantina stopped in her tracks and looked over to the side. What happened next was something that Varon never expected would happen to him in a million years.

"Oh aren't you cute?" cried Constantina as she suddenly reached over and pinched Varon's cheeks as hard as she could "You remind me so much of my precious little son!"

"LET ME GO!" shouted Varon as he pulled free and ran behind Raphael's desk as quickly as he could and pointed at Amelda "Why don't you do that to him instead?"

Constantina just shrugged her shoulders and immediately turned her attention back to Raphael. She considered Raphael a big tasteless oaf who couldn't possibly understand her work. Unfortunately she knew her behavior the previous day had angered him. So she just stood in front of the tall muscular blonde man and prepared for the worst.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your sales this month" said Raphael as he took a deep breath and tried to keep his composure "You should be very proud"

"What?" said Constantina as she blinked her eyes in disbelief for one moment since she had expected Raphael to scream at her "Are you serious dahling?"

Raphael nodded his head indicating that he was serious which both relieved her and immensely pleased her. Unfortunately not everyone took the news as well as she did.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT RAPH?" suddenly screamed Varon who had not expected to hear that "AREN'T YOU GONNA YELL AT HER?"

Varon was completely frantic since she had been looking forward to seeing Constantina get what she deserved. Instead she got congratulated! How could this be? What was going on? Varon felt ripped off! He wanted an answer and he wanted it now! Raphael gave Varon a stern glance for one moment, but then it softened a bit and seemed to say "I'll explain everything in awhile".

"Oh Raphael dahling I'll get started on my fashions for next season!" said Constantina as she quickly began to make her way to the door "I'll outsell everyone in this country! Just wait and see!"

Constantina was on her way out the door, when she noticed Amelda standing closeby. She knew very well that she had reacted in a less than acceptable way the previous day, and now it was only fair that she apologized. Constantina cautiously walked over to him since she knew that he was mad at her, but then she realized another thing: Amelda was extremely attractive. She had never really seen him until the previous day and even then she hadn't paid much attention to the way he looked. Now she couldn't believe that she had done such a thing to him. His face, although feminine looking, was incredibly handsome and his grey eyes were absolutely stunning. He was also very tall and had a very nice body. Although his hairstyle was a bit unusual...

"Oh my..." said Constantina as she suddenly blurted out what came to her mind as she looked into his grey eyes "I'm sure that both the boys and the girls fall in love you dahling!"

"WHAT?" shouted both Amelda since he didn't know whether this insane woman was complimenting him or insulting him "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO-"

SLAP

It all happened so quickly that everyone just stood there staring in complete disbelief. Constantina had slapped Amelda on the butt! She then gave a naughty grin, adjusted her hat, and happily skipped out of Raphael's office and headed towards the elevator. Suddenly Varon burst into such wild laughter at what he had seen, that he nearly collapsed. Even Raphael had to smile at the entire situation since it was pretty amusing, although Amelda didn't think so.

"She...slapped...my butt" said Amelda who still had a look of horror on his face which soon turned to one of anger "WHY DID SHE DO THAT?"

"I think that's her way of saying that she's sorry for yesterday" said Raphael with an amused chuckle as he looked at the distressed look on his friend's face "Although a handshake would have been more appropriate"

Amelda just shook his head in disbelief and made a mental note to himself: Stay at least 10 feet away from Constantina at all times.

_How the mighty have fallen..." _thought a lone woman as she stared out a window in her office at a building in downtown Domino's business district _"Now all that remains is a memory of the past..."_

The woman had a bird's eye view of the entire business since her office was located on the top floor the building she was in. The cars, buildings, and everything in general, seemed like insignificant toys in the prescence of the jet black titan. There were a few other freakishly tall buildings, but none like the one she was in. The nearby Kaiba Corp building was one of them and at one time had been the tallest in all of Domino. The only other building that seemed to come close was a lone sky blue building not too far from the Kaiba Corp building. It was precisely what her attention had been focused on.

"The great blue is now lost in the darkness!" said the woman as she laughed and her green eyes seemed to fill with sadistic glee "Surviving in name only"

**BUZZ**

At that moment the woman's train of thought was broken by the buzz of the intercom located on her desk. She quickly went over to the desk, pressed the button, and decided to see what the secretary wanted. She had been waiting for some very important information since the day before, and hopefully now it would be ready.

"Is it here?" said the woman as she quickly sat down in her large black leather chair and made herself comfortable and pulled a loose thread from her solid black dress suit

"Yes Madame it's here" said the secretary in a rather cold and monotone tone of voice which seemed to lack any kind of human quality "I'll bring it in right away"

At that moment the door opened up and a tall blonde woman with cold pale blue eyes entered the room. She was also clad in a solid black dress but she was carrying a yellow manila envelope in her hands. She simply walked all the way over to the desk, placed the envelope down, and exited the office without saying a word. The woman cautiously picked up the envelope, opened, it up and began to read the paper inside. When she got to one part though, she couldn't believe her eyes. The new CEO of Azure Inc was the son of the original one! _How amusing..._

"Oh it would seem you're too late Raphael" said the woman as she curled her red lips up into an amused grin and stood back up once again to gaze out the window "I destroyed your father's company...and if necessary I'll destroy you"

She then threw the papers back down on the desk and continued enjoying the view of the world below her from atop her majestic perch.

**One Month Later**

So far Tea was still living all alone since there was absolutely no sign of her mother. She hadn't called, written, or e-mailed her even once during this entire period of time. Tea wasn't completely alone though since Yugi, Tristan, and Joey spoke with her frequently and hung out with her whenever she had time. Time didn't seem to be something Tea really had though since she was very busy at school. Everything was going pretty well for her at school...but there was one thing that continued to trouble her.

_"Odysseus did you hear the news?" said a fellow chemist as he ran over to his companion "The boss is pleased with your new neural serum!". "The boss?" said Odysseus as he put down a small beaker he had been holding"Very funny Fausto". "But it's true!" said Fausto as he quickly took a seat on a stood near Odysseus "She should be coming here any-". "Good afternoon Odysseus" suddenly said a female voice accompanied by the sound of footsteps made only by women's high heels "You and I have much to discuss". Odysseus quickly stood up in complete disbelief while Fausto quickly scrambled off. "Madam...to what do I owe this honor?" said Odysseus who still couldn't believe that the boss was actually there and she wanted to speak to him. "I hear you've created something very important recently" said the woman as she looked up at him with her green eyes "A neural serum am I correct?". "Yes madam" said Odysseus as he looked at her and pulled a small vial out of his labcoat"It should be able to cure various neural disorders when-". "When given in small doses" chuckled the woman as she adjusted her fur stole "Anyways I have a proposition for you and this new serum". The woman spoke while Odysseus cautiously listened, but when she got to one part he was shocked. "What?It's not meant to be used as that!" said Odysseus with a look of horror on his face "Why on Earth would anyone use it for that?". "That's none of your concern" said the woman as she narrowed her green eyes "Now will you tell me how it's made?". Suddenly Odysseus made a realization that would change everything. "You...I know exactly who you are!" said Odysseus frowned and looked over at the boss "You're..."_

_"Tea?"_

"Huh?"

"Hey Tea are you feeling okay?" said Alex with a worried look in his grey eyes as he gently tapped her on the shoulder with his pen "You've been spacing out alot today...is something bothering you?"

Tea then full snapped back into reality and suddenly remembered that she and Alex were in the library. Tea and Alex had become pretty good friends at that point and they began to study together. Tea was the first friend Alex had made since arriving at the University of Domino, so he really enjoyed her company. Tea had grown very fond of Alex as well since he was was a very kind person. Unfortunately today Tea's dreams seemed to be getting most of her attention so she was unable to focus.

"I was just remembering a weird dream I had" said Tea as she randomly began to scribble something on a nearby piece of paper "You know what I mean right?"

"Uh...not really" said Alex as he closed his eyes and gave a slightly embarassed grin "I can't really ever remember what I dream about"

"WHAT?" cried Tea completely forgotting that she was in a library as she glared right at him "YOU CAN'T REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS?"

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!

"Nope" said Alex sheepishly as he noticed the death glares Tea was getting from almost everyone sitting nearby "I have no clue what I dream about"

"You know what you are right now Alex?" whispered Tea as she tried her best to keep from getting thrown out of the library by the other students "Someone that I'm very jealous of"

Alex just smiled, shook his head, and laughed a bit, but he quickly quieted down when he noticed that he was attracting some death glares of his own.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of the reviews! They're very helpful and I appreciate them very much. Phew! This is the longest chapter I've done for this story to date. Ahh but thankfully midterms are over so I'm happy. Anyways there's probably going to be alot more OOCness in the later chapters(maybe not) so just a fair warning in case there is :D


	5. Promises

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

Minor note: To answer your question Guardian Airtos, Constantina is supposed to be in her forties. Also everyone else's ages are as follows(in this story): Tea, Yugi, Tristan, Joey, Kaiba and Varon: 18, Amelda: 21, Raphael:26, Mokuba: 14, and Serenity: 16. :). Oh and Raphael's last name in this story was made up by me.

**Promises**

"I had to pull quite a few strings, but I got something that might interest you sir" said the senior corporate lawyer in very tired tone of voice while speaking to Raphael on the phone "I'm e-mailing you something about Obsidian's CEO right this moment"

Ever since Obsidian Inc nearly wiped out Azure Inc, the senior corporate lawyer had a new obsession. He had been with the company for many years, and it hurt him to see it take such a huge hit. When he remembered how much love and dedication Raphael's father had put into the company, he felt even more anger. His anger at first had been directed towards Obsidian Inc, but now it was directed towards the person behind it. He just couldn't fathom how no one could know who ran the multimillion dollar company, so he made it his mission to find out. He would sometimes spend entire nights up trying to gather the information. Many times he'd get false leads which led him nowhere. Now after several years, it seemed that he had found the answer.

"Something about their CEO?" said Raphael who was still half asleep as he pulled himself out of bed and walked out into his living room "What about them?"

Raphael lived in a modestly furnished one-bedroom apartment even though he was now the CEO of a well known corporation. He could never really bring himself to buy things he didn't need when he remembered just how many truly needy people were out there. Amelda and Varon felt the same way too, although they didn't really have as much cash to toss around as Raphael did. Raphael slowly took a seat on his couch and opened up the laptop which was sitting on the clear glass coffee table. He slowly began to type and was completely unaware that he was being watched closely. Suddenly a pair gleaming golden eyes narrowed, white fur stood on end, a pair of claws extended, and the mighty predator ran towards it's target. Before Raphael could even open his e-mail he suddenly felt the mighty predator pounce on the back of his neck with full force and he heard it's mighty roar.

_Meow!_

"Eatos.." said Raphael with a slight chuckle as he gently pulled the "predator" off of his neck and pulled into his lap"I guess you're mad at me for waking you up at this time right?"

"Meow!" responded the tiny white kitten, who looked more like a furry snowball, as she gazed up at her master with her big golden eyes

Raphael had always been very fond of cats and Eatos was no exception. The feisty little white feline meant alot to Raphael, especially when he remembered how he found her. One night several days after Raphael officially took over as CEO of Azure Inc, he was awoken abruptly. There was a bright flash of light from outside which fully illuminated his apartment and it sparked Raphael's curiosity. He quickly got out of bed and headed towards the front door, but when he opened it he was in for a surprise. There stood Guardian Eatos surrounded by bright light which illuminated her feathery white wings and she gazed at him sweetly with her beautiful golden eyes. Raphael had always respected and cared for all of his guardians, but Eatos was his favorite. Suddenly Guardian Eatos vanished without a trace and the light disappeared. Raphael suddenly heard something so he looked down and was in for another surprise. A tiny white kitten with beautiful golden eyes now stood in the same spot that Guardian Eatos had been standing in. It mewed innocently at him like any other kitten, but he knew that this cat was special. So from that day on Eatos became a part of Raphael's life and he hoped it would be that way for a long time.

Meanwhile Eatos had made herself comfortable by curling up into a little ball on Raphael's lap while he finally read the e-mail.

"So their CEO is a woman named V. Cervantes?" said Raphael as his eyes scanned all of the information before him in disbelief "Are you sure?"

"More than enough of my sources have confirmed it sir..." said the senior corporate lawyer as he yawned and struggled to stay awake since he had stayed up almost all night "Oh...I'm sorry sir it's just that I'm tired and-"

"Don't worry about it" said Raphael reassuringly since he knew the man had worked very had to get all of the information "Just make sure to get plenty of rest and I'll see you tomorrow"

"Thank you sir...I'm going to go rest right away" said the man who was barely even awake at that point before he hung up the phone.

_"How right you are Ulysses"_ hissed a raspy female voice from a dark corner of the room _"You're going to take a nice long rest"_

"Who are you?" suddenly cried out Ulysses who didn't understand how this woman had gotten into his house in the first place "What do you want?"

At that moment the woman stepped out of the shadows and he got to see her. She long dark brown hair was was clad in a black form fitting outfit and black high heeled boots. She appeared to be very beautiful, but the moment she actually made eye contact he felt a shiver go down his spine . Her cold grey eyes were devoid of any life and it was like staring at a mannequin's lifeless eyes. He then looked down at her hands and realized that they seemed to be covered in some sort of armored gloves. They were black, shiny, had razor sharp fingertips, and went all the way up to her elbows. They also had several jagged edges which almost resembled the scales on a snake.

"_When you play with fire"_ hissed the woman as her eyes narrowed and she looked straight at the confused man _"Then you get burned.."_

Suddenly the woman ran forward and attacked. It all happened so quickly that the poor man didn't even have time to react. There was a flash of black steel accompanied by the sound of flesh tearing open and a sudden spray of crimson. Ulysses then fell to the floor gurgling from the pain as blood gushed out of the cut this woman had inflicted right where his jugular artery was. The woman just stood there looking at the fallen man as if nothing had happened. Even now that he was mortally wounded and dying before her very eyes, she still showed no signs of human emotion. He then felt himself succumbing to the darkness...but he did manage to hear one final thing.

"_And when you anger a viper" _said the woman as her lips suddenly and unexpectedly curled into a malicious grin "_Then you get bitten!"_

_"Big brother wake up!" cried an innocent child's voice "Come on wake up already!". Amelda opened his eyes and and was once again greeted by unending darkness as well as Miruko's sweet innocent face. "Miruko?" said Amelda as he quickly sat up and once again found that he was a preteen instead of an adult "What are you doing here?". Suddenly the little boy leapt into his big brother's arms and gave him a hug. "I'm here because I miss you Amelda" said Miruko as he clung to his big brother as tightly as he could "I miss you so much...". "I miss you too Miruko" said Amelda as he wrapped his arms around the little boy and hugged him tightly "I miss you more than anything"."I want to be with you big brother" said Miruko as he looked up at his brother with a bit of sadness in his innocent grey eyes and said "Will we be together again soon?". "I don't know..." said Amelda with a look of pain in his own grey eyes since he knew this just wasn't possible "But I know we'll be together again someday". "Really?" said Miruko as his eyes lit up and a smile lit up his face "Do you promise?". The look of happiness on Miruko's face at that moment was something Amelda never thought he'd see again. For a few fleeting moments he felt the same happiness he'd felt when he, Miruko, and their mother were all still together."I promise" said Amelda as he nodded his head reassuringly as he looked down at his little brother "I promise that we'll be together again". "Then I have to make you a promise for the day that happens!" cried Miruko as happily as possible "Wanna hear it?". Amelda just smiled at the little boy and nodded his head since he wanted to know what the promise was. "I promise that once we're togather again I'll never leave you" said Miruko as he gazed into his older brother's eyes "I'll never leave you Amelda". No sooner had Miruko uttered these words, the air around them suddenly grew cold, dense, and foggy._

_"The first step has been taken.." suddenly said a soft female voice from somewhere in the darkness_

_As soon as the fog subsided Amelda looked down and realized that he was once again an adult and Miruko was no longer in his arms. Now he was standing directly behind the mysterious lady in black as she stood near the lone street lamp and ornate black metal bench. She was still clad in her long black dress, black gloves, and her back was still turned to him. "Who are you?" said Amelda who absolutely had no clue what was going once again "Why are you here?". The woman just stood there completely motionless like some sort of statue. He cautiously stretched his arm out and was about to tap her on the shoulder to see if she'd respond. Suddenly everything was once again surrounded by total darkness._

_"The second step has been taken..." said the same soft female voice from the darkness "The darkness shall soon-"_

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"C'mon mate we gotta leave already!" shouted Varon as he practically broke down the door to Amelda's bedroom "Are ya sleepin' or somethin'?"

"What the..." groaned Amelda as he was abruptly woken up by the sound of Varon pounding on his door "What time is it?"

Usually Amelda had no trouble getting up in the morning, but today that wasn't the case. He quickly glanced over at the clock on his nightstand and he realized that it was almost time for him and Varon to leave for work. Suddenly he jumped out of bed but in his frantic rush he ended up stumbling and dragging all the sheets and pillows down with him. It was not going to be a very good day from the look of things. Varon could only snicker as he heard the sounds coming from Amelda's room since it was obvious the redhead had indeed overslept. Usually it was the other way around, but Varon now realized that he had a chance to do something he'd wanted to do for awhile

"Dammit..." muttered Amelda as he struggled to untangle himself from the pile of sheets and pillows "Can this day possibly get any worse?"

Suddenly Varon opened up the bedroom door and laughed at the sight in front of him. There lay Amelda on the ground with his hair looking like he'd stuck his finger in a light socket while the lower half of his body was wrapped in the sheets like a mummy. It was a shame Varon didn't have a camera with him since this would make excellent blackmail material. Amelda shouted at him and told him to get the Hell out of his room but Varon completely ignored him. He immediately walked over to the dresser, picked up the car keys, and jingled them while he looked down at Amelda with a huge grin on his face.

"Don't worry mate!" said Varon happily as he put the keys in his pocket and quickly headed towards the door since Amelda was unable to do anything at the moment "I'll go warm up the car and pick ya up by the curb!".

Amelda wildly clawed at the sheets in an attempt to free himself, but it was no use since Varon was out the door before he could. He then cursed under his breath and continued in his desperate attempt to free himself.

"Why am I having these dreams every night?" thought Tea as she quickly walked down the street on her way to the university "I haven't been able to dream about anything else..."

At that point Tea had shared the mysterious dreams she'd been having with Yugi, Tristan, and Joey. Joey said that her dream sounded an awful lot like one of the soap operas that he and Serenity liked to watch. That comment earned him a slap to the back of the head. Tristan believed that maybe the dreams were probably nothing more than nonsense. He was fortunate since he didn't get a slap to the head. Yugi on the other hand believed that perhaps the dreams were trying to tell her something, especially since she kept having them. Perhaps the events she kept seeing had actually happened or were about to happen. Yugi was surprisingly the only one who not only avoided a slap to the head, but he was also the only one to get a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Even though the Pharoah was no longer with Yugi, it was obvious that he had left much of his wisdom behind. Now Tea thought about what Yugi had said and wondered whether the people in her dreams actually existed. She continued walking til she got close to the end of her street. She continued thinking about her dreams so she completely failed to notice an approaching black SUV until...

HONK!

"Huh? Ahhhhhhhh!" shrieked Tea when she saw that she nearly got run over once again by a black SUV "What the Hell?"

"Hey you're that crazy sheila from the other day!" shouted Varon as he stuck his head out of the window "Are ya trying to get hit?"

Tea at this point was so shocked that she just stood there for a few moments staring at Varon like a deer caught in the headlights. Varon looked at the shocked girl and realized that she indeed looked very familiar. He knew that he had definitely seen this girl before but where? He began to think back to where he could have possibly seen this girl.

"Wait a sec...you're one of the Pharoah's chums aren't you?" said Varon as he looked straight at the brown haired blue eyed girl in front of him "You're...Tea right?"

"And you're Varon" said Tea as she suddenly snapped out of it and recognized Varon's wild spiky brown hair and sky blue eyes "It's been a long time"

"It hasn't been that long sheila!" said Varon with his sudden grin as he looked straight at Tea "Last time I saw you was when you nearly got run over by my chum a few weeks back"

Tea's cheeks turned a bright red shade from the embarassment now that she realized that it was indeed the same black SUV as last time. How could she be foolish enough to nearly get run over twice by the same car? Varon looked as the poor girl turned several shades of red, but he began to think of another thing. Since the time he had moved to Domino, he hadn't really run into anyone he knew: friend or foe. Tea was the first person he'd run into who actually knew who he was...but luckily she wasn't really an enemy.

"I'm so sorry about that time" said Tea as the red slowly began to disappear from her cheeks "It's just that it was the first day of class and I was really in a hurry"

"Actually I should thank you for that time" said Varon as he suddenly began to laugh as he remembered the day "You helped me prove that Amelda's not such a perfect driver after all"

"Amelda?" said Tea since she honestly didn't recognize the name although it did sound vaguely familiar for some reason "Who's that?"

"He's my chum and he's also my roommate" said Varon as he suddenly began to stifle another laugh as he remembered what he'd seen awhile back "And-Well speaking of the drama queen here he comes"

Amelda was walking down the pathway that led from the apartment building down to the curb and he did not look happy. It took him about ten minutes to finally free himself, it took him only a few minutes to get dressed and washed up, but then he realized his styling gel was missing. It took him another ten minutes to locate his styling gel which somehow found it's way into Varon's room. Now they were very very late and as he got to the curb he saw Varon wasting even more time talking to some girl. Varon always had girls come up and flirt with him and he'd do likewise. Amelda could care less when he did this, but now he was wasting both of their time. And to make matters even worse, he'd actually have to let Varon drive since he was already in the driver's seat. _This day keeps getting worse and worse..._

"About time ya got out here mate!" said Varon with a grin as Amelda angrily stared at him from the curb "Weren't ya able to find your makeup?"

"_It's him!" _thought Tea when she looked over and realized that she knew exactly who Amelda was _"It's that jerk from the other day!"_

"Hey Amelda ya remember that girl ya nearly ran over right mate?" said Varon as he suddenly glanced over at Tea "This is her!"

"_Why did he have to tell him that it was me?"_ thought Tea as her face went beet red and she stared straight at Varon with a mixture of shock, embarassment, and annoyance _"And to make things worse they live on this street too"_

Amelda silently gazed over at Tea with his steel grey eyes and realized that she was that same girl who'd run into him that other time. She was wearing a white t-shirt, a dark blue miniskirt, and the most ridiculous platform boots he had ever seen. They were white leather, were at least six inches high, and it wouldn't surprise him if Constantina had designed them. Right now she was currently blushing like crazy for some reason as she looked over at Varon. _Just like a little dust bunny. _She was precisely the type of girl that he truly despised. He quickly got in the car and shut the door since he just wanted to get the day over with already.

"Well..I've gotta run" said Tea who was still embarassed beyond belief as she quickly looked both ways before running off to the other side of the street "Take care Varon!"

"You too!" shouted Varon as he looked at Tea as she ran off before turning around and looking over at Amelda "You know...ya could have at least said hi to her"

"Look you can waste your own time talking to her if you want" snapped Amelda as he looked straight at Varon with an annoyed look on his face "But you're definitely not wasting my time so move it!"

"What's your problem mate?" shouted Varon who didn't really like the attitude Amelda was giving him at the moment "You're the one that overslept!"

Amelda had never been an easy person to understand, but recently he was becoming more difficult than ever. What Varon didn't know was that the reason for Amelda's recent change in behavior was because of the dreams he'd been having. Now he was having the same dream every night and it was driving him crazy. The dreams were at times upsetting and always confusing. The mysterous voice from the darkness also served to make things even more confusing. At times he wished could could tell Raphael and Varon, but he felt they'd probably dismiss it as random nonsense. At other times he wished he could just forget what he dreamt about...well except for Miruko of course.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to shout at you" suddenly said Amelda and he brought his hand up to his forehead when he realized that he was once taking his frustration out on Varon "It's just that this day started off so bad is all..."

"Don't worry about it mate...we all have bad days" said Varon with a slight smile as he looked over at Amelda before pulling back out onto the street "You just happen to have more bad days than most people"

"Hey Seto guess who I got partnered with for a presentation in health class?" said Mokuba as he and Seto walked outside to get into their limos "Come on take a guess!"

"Someone I've probably never heard of?" said Seto since he knew Mokuba was the sort of person who tended to make friends very easily so he had far more friends that Seto could count "You'd better tell me since I don't have much time to guess right now"

"Well do you remember Serenity?" said Mokuba as they continued walking over towards the limo "You know Serenity Wheeler?"

"Serenity Wheeler?" said Seto who vaguely began to remember hearing that name but then suddenly he got a mental image of a young auburn haired girl "Isn't she the mutt's little sister or something?"

"Yeah! She's in Mr. Foster's class too" said Mokuba as the chauffeurs who would drive them each to their destination opened the limo doors "She said she moved back here to Domino and now she's living with Joey!"

Seto looked straight at Mokuba for a moment and he realized something unusual. Mokuba's eyes seemed to brighten up at the moment when he mentioned Serenity. It could just be that Mokuba was happy to have found another friend...or could it be something else? Mokuba was no longer a child obviously and he had already had several crushes at that point. Seto didn't like the thought that Mokuba might have a crush on this girl, especially since she was a Wheeler. There was no way he would ever allow his little brother to fall in love with a Wheeler...it would be a disgrace.

"Don't get too friendly with her Mokuba" said Seto in a stern tone of voice before they both stepped into their respective limos "She's not the sort of person you should usually associate yourself with"

"You're only saying that because she's a Wheeler am I right?" said Mokuba with a sudden darkness in his voice as he looked over at Seto "You know Seto...it's times like these that I'm actually glad I don't think like you"

Mokuba then quickly got in the limo and shut the door before the chauffeur even had a chance to do so for him. He just sat back and sighed since he felt very disappointed at that moment. He honestly didn't like the way Seto always tended to judge a person right away by their social standing. To Mokuba it seemed shallow, stupid, and like something their deceased stepfather would do. Serenity was a nice girl and it wasn't fair for Seto to judge her just because Joey happened to be her big brother...it just wasn't.

"Mokuba..." thought Seto with a deep frown on his face as he sat in the back of his limo as it pulled out the front gate of the Kaiba Mansion "I'm only doing this because I don't want you to do something that you'll later regret"

"Hello Earth to Joey!" said Tristan as he suddenly threw a paper airplane at Joey "Come in Joey, over!"

"Huh?" said Joey as he suddenly snapped out of it and felt the paper airplane hit him on the side of the head "Hey why'd ya do dat?"

Joey and Tristan were currently sitting in their anthropology class waiting for the teacher to arrive. They were both currently in almost the same classes since they figured it would be more fun to take them together. Unfortunately this didn't prove to be right since the classes required them to pay alot of attention and there was no time to goof off. Now for the first time in years they were actually doing pretty well though which was a pleasant surprise to them both. It proved that they were actually much smarter than they thought...although they were still big goofoffs at heart.

"You've been spacing out alot all day long...even for you" said Tristan as he casually put his feet up on the desk in front of him "What's with you today man?"

"It's just dat I'm worried about Serenity" said Joey as he sighed and unfolded the paper airplane "She's doin some kind of health project with Mokuba"

"Serenity..." said Tristan as he dreamily sighed at the sound of Serenity's sweet name "Why are you so worried? Mokuba's a good kid"

"I know dat Mokuba's a good kid.." said Joey as he suddenly began to crumple the paper in his hands "But she's gotta go to his mansion dis afternoon to work on it...and I'm afraid she'll run into Moneybags"

Joey sighed since he knew just how Kaiba was. All throughout high school he would taunt and try to humilate Joey at every opportunity he got. One of the main reasons he did this was just to see Joey blow his fuse since he had a very short temper at times. Every single time that Kaiba insulted him, Joey would go ballistic and Tristan often had to hold him back to keep him from trying to beat up Kaiba. The other real reason Kaiba took pleasure in humiliating Joey was because he was obviously very poor. Now Joey was worried about what would happen if Kaiba found Serenity at the mansion. Serenity's feelings were very easily hurt and he knew that if Kaiba made any of his biting comments, it would definitely reduce her to tears. He knew Kaiba would probably get great pleasure from doing so, especially since no one would be around to stop him. Just thinking about it made Joey want to pound Kaiba to a bloody pulp.

"Why are you so worried about her running into Kaiba?" said Tristan as he began to fold another piece of paper into a paper airplane "I remember from what Mokuba once told us, he never gets home til at least 7pm "

"I hope you're right" said Joey as he began to roll the crumpled piece of paper around in the palm of his hand "Cause if dat dirty creep says or does anythin to her, den I promise I'll kick his ass!"

"That'd make two of us then" said Tristan as he tossed the second paper airplane towards Joey "There's no way I'd let anyone hurt Serenity's feelings! In fact why don't I go with-HEY!"

Before Tristan had even been able to finish his sentence, he ended up having a paperball hurled straight at his face. Joey looked pretty pissed off since he never liked it when Tristan or Duke Devlin tried to get close to Serenity.

"You'd better stay away from my sister too!" shouted Joey as he rolled up his sleeve and shook his fist at Tristan's "Or else you'll end up like Kaiba too!"

Joey knew just how perverted Tristan was and he honestly didn't like Duke since the time he forced him to wear a dog suit. There was no way he'd ever let her end up with either one of them. _No way in Hell..._

"Hey Tea why do you keep staring at me?" said Alex with a smirk when he noticed that Tea kept staring at him while they waited for their philosophy teacher to arrive "Do I have something in my teeth?"

Tea kept thinking about her earlier run in with Varon and Amelda. Varon was really cute she had to admit since his eyes were such a beautiful sky blue shade. His hair was also kinda cute since it reminded her of Yugi's. He was also surprisingly friendly and obviously had a good heart despite his dark past. Amelda was a different story though. He quite odd looking in her opinion since he was quite feminine looking yet handsome at the same time. His good looks were of no use though since he was obviously not a social person at all. She honestly wondered how Varon could put up with him...

"I just realized something" said Tea as she continued looking at the grey eyed redhead sitting beside her "You remind me of someone..."

"Really?" said Alex who hadn't expected her to say this and now his curiosity had been sparked "Who do I remind you of?"

After this run in Tea looked at Alex and realized something: He looked a bit like Amelda. They were both tall, had the same eye color, and a similar body and facial structure. Their hair was vastly different though since it wasn't really the same shade of red. Another difference was that Alex's hair was always quite messy looking while Amelda's was neatly styled. More importantly though, Alex was a cheerful and friendly person and Amelda was not.

"Some guy..." said Tea who honestly didn't feel that she should be comparing sweet Alex to such a jerk "He's a total jerk..."

"WHAT?"

"Sorry that came out wrong!" said Tea as her face turned red when she realized that she had unwillingly ended up insulting him "It's just that he also has red hair and grey eyes...but you're nothing like him!"

"Thanks...I think" said Alex who once again closed his eyes as he tended to do when he was grinning out of amusement(which was quite often) "Hey I wanted to ask you something...are you doing anything after class?"

"No not really" said Tea who was glad that Alex hadn't really been offended by what she had said earlier "Why do you ask?"

"Well my big sister called me earlier and asked me to drop something off at her job" said Alex as his cheeks turned a little red since he felt silly admitting such a thing "But her boss is really crazy and she scares me...so can you come with me?"

"Sure I can go with you" said Tea as she tried her hardest not to giggle since she couldn't believe what Alex was telling her "But your sister's boss can't really be that bad can she?"

**Several Hours Later**

"Your sister works at Azure Inc?" said Tea as she and Alex entered the huge sky blue building "Is she a fashion designer or something?"

"Well right now she's working for a designer but she is hoping to become one" said Alex as he carried a paperbag in his hand as they began to head down a long hallway "She made the dress that's in this bag and she wants her boss' opinion on it"

Tea was just in awe though since she'd seen the Azure Inc building for years but she never thought she'd go in. She also couldn't believe that Raphael was in charge of this company. When she first met Raphael he didn't really seem much like the CEO type at first glance. He , like Varon and Amelda, had been one of the three "Swordsmen Of Doom". He had been confused and corrupted by the power of the Orichalcos, and by Dartz's insane ideals. The Pharoah helped him see the light...but his soul was eventually taken by the seal of Orichalcos. Once The Great Leviathan was destroyed and all of the souls Dartz captured were freed, it was obvious he was a vastly different person. He was quite noble, very intellectual, and obviously a very kind hearted person despite his tough guy exterior. She knew that he was definitely a great CEO who highly valued and respected all of his employees and was currently pulling his company back up.

"Here we are..." said Alex as he stopped and took a deep breath when they finally reached a frosted glass door "Please don't let that woman be here..."

"_Now I'm actually hoping that she is here" _secretly thought Tea since she was curious to see just how bad this woman actually was since Alex really seemed scared of her _"I want to see what makes her so scary and crazy"_

Alex cautiously opened the door and both he and Tea stepped inside. The place turned out to be some sort of fashion studio and it was unlike anything Tea had ever seen before. There were several mannequins wearing some of the most exotic and colorful outfits Tea had ever seen. Most of them were actually quite nice, although this didn't seem to be the case for the rest. The most bizarre dress had to be an odd shiny black dress covered in copper wire...it almost looked like a trash bag. Alex and Tea continued walking and they passed several people who were busy working on the dresses. After a few minutes it seemed like the coast was clear so Alex visibly relaxed and was about to ask where his sister was...but then it happened.

"Oh Alex dahling!" cried out Constantina as she suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pinched Alex's cheek like crazy "You've gotten so big and you're cuter than ever!"

"Constantina...is Alexandria here?" asked Alex as he tried to pull away from her but was unable to since she had a pretty tight grip on his cheek I brought something for her"

"_Okay...I guess I owe him an apology"_ thought Tea to herself as she saw this woman pinching Alex's cheek as if though he were a child _"I can see he wasn't really exaggerating at all"_

"Oh Alexandria stepped out for a few minutes but she should be back soon!" said Constantina as she finally let go of Alex whose cheek was bright red at that point but then she noticed Tea "Oh and who is this pretty young lady? Your girlfriend?"

"What?" cried both of them at the same point since they couldn't believe what she'd just said "No we're just friends!"

"But you two look so cute together!" said Constantina with a sudden twinkle in her brown eyes "Maybe you should be more than friends"

Tea honestly couldn't believe all of the things that Constantina had just said. There was no doubt that Constantina was a brilliant designer, but her sanity seemed questionable. Meanwhile Alex was so busy rubbing his sore cheek that he failed to notice a girl with long red hair walk up next to him and take the paper bag from his hand.

"I knew I could count on you to bring me this" said the redhead girl as she scanned the bag with her brown eyes before smiling and giving Alex a hug "You're the best little brother a girl could have!"

"Ah is this what you wanted me to see Alexandria dahling?" said Constantina as she suddenly took the bag from Alexandria's hands "Oh I've just been dying to see this!"

When Constantina reached into the bag she pulled out a beautiful full length strapless black dress. She cautiously examined every aspect of it while Alexandria nervously chewed on her lower lip. Tea was amazed that Alexandria had actually made the dress herself since it looked absolutely flawless. Alex silently watched but he knew that Alexandria had nothing to worry about since it was a good dress. Constantina finally finished her inspection and looked at them.

"Oh this dress is marvelous dahling!" said Constantina as she suddenly ran over to a black haired man wearing a black suit standing nearby "Rico dahling don't you think this is marvelous?"

"Marvelous!" said Rico who happened to be Constantina's personal assistant/best friend as he examined the dress "Just marvelous!"

"I see many good things in your future!" said Constantina as she handed the dress back to Alexandria "Now I have a fun idea...lets have a party this Saturday!"

"T-Thank you Constantina" said Alexandria who couldn't believe what she was hearing "But why do you want to have a party? It's not time to reveal your latest works."

"Oh I just want to throw one since they're so much fun!" said Constantina as she quickly went over and stood between Tea and Alex "And I know you two will be attending right?"

"Uh...right!" said Tea and Alex in unison as Alexandria quickly made nodding gestures indicating that something unpleasant(possibly more pinching) would occur if they said anything else.

"Good I'll start calling and e-mailing people to let them know!" said Constantina as she suddenly went over and grabbed Rico by the arm "Come Rico dahling...we have lots to do!"

For many years Tea had always thought that her mother was a crazy woman. She did unusual things and took one too many spur of the moment trips, like the one she was currently on. Now Tea couldn't believe that she had found someone that actually made her mother look completely sane. Well almost...

"Hey Raphael you just got a new e-mail" said Amelda as he looked at a laptop that sat on a second desk that Raphael had in the corner of his office "It's from someone called C. Von Furstenburg"

Now that Azure Inc was finally starting to pick up again, there was alot more work for Raphael to handle. Luckily for him Amelda was able to help him with a great deal of the more difficult tasks. Amelda was very responsible, very intelligent, and very hardworking so it worked out quite well. Varon was also quite intelligent, but not quite as responsible though. He tended to help out almost all of the lighter tasks instead. Secretly he was thankful that he did get the easier tasks.

"C. Von Furstenburg?" said Varon as he suddenly put down some papers he had been sorting through and then looked over at Raphael "Is it anyone ya know mate?"

"We all know C. Von Furstenburg" said Raphael as he debated whether or not to actually read the e-mail or just delete it "Or should I say Constantina Von Furstenburg?"

Amelda and Varon also visibly cringed at the very mention of her name as if though it were the worst thing in the world. After a few seconds, Raphael finally decided to just read the e-mail and see just what sort of insane thing Constantina had come up with now. His eyes widened for a moment and he just shuddered since it obviously wasn't something good. Varon was really curious so he ran over and decided to see what was so bad about it.

_"Raphael dahling! I'm throwing a fabulous party this Saturday at 7:30pm and it's going to be right here down where we always have the fashion shows. Oh I just invited several people(just about 200) already dahling and I know I'll see you(and those cute friends of yours) there right? I also wanted to let you know that several of them are dying to meet you as well! Oh and it's formal wear(who doesn't love formal wear?) so see you then! Constantina"_

"Please tell me we don't have to go Raph!" cried Varon as he finished reading the e-mail and looked at Raphael pleadingly "I don't wanna go to that crazy woman's party!"

Raphael wasn't happy at all since he honestly didn't want to waste his Saturday night at some party thrown by Constantina. It was obvious that Varon didn't want to either, and he already knew what Amelda's answer was going to be. Raphael was about to say something to the younger man, but at that moment the phone on his desk rang.

"Hello?" said Raphael as he picked up the phone and listened for a few seconds to the person on the other line "Yes this is Raphael Girard"

"Mr. Girard, my name is Dr. Gabriel DeWinters" said the man on the other end of the phone who now that he was certain he had the right person "You have a lawyer named Mr. Ulysses Anderson am I correct?"

"Yes...but what about him?" said Raphael who already had a bad feeling as he continued listening but then his eyes suddenly snapped open in shock "WHAT? I'll be right there!".

Raphael quickly hung up the phone and immediately began to look around for his car keys since he didn't have a second to lose. Unfortunately he was so distraught at that moment that he couldn't seem to remember where they were.

"What happened?" asked Amelda with a worried look as he looked up from his laptop and noticed Raphael frantically rummaging through all of his pockets "Is it something serious?"

"It is...but I'll explain it on the way" said Raphael as he finally managed to find the keys to his car in the pockets of his dark grey slacks "Right now we have to hurry!"

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thanks for all of the reviews guys! As usual your reviews help me alot and motivate me :). Oh and sorry if I put a bit too much of Constantina in this chapter(she scares everyone). Oh and the ages for the characters introduced in this chapter are as follows: Alexandria: 23 and Rico: 40. Oh and as I said earlier(and now I can confirm) there's going to be alot more OOCness for some characters later on in the story. Well anyways thanks once again to everyone who reviewed! So hugs and kisses! ;)


	6. The Society

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh,any of the characters, or Mercedes so don't sue me:D

**The Society**

_"I want that serum! So you'd better hand it over" hissed the green eyed woman as her red lips carefully accentuated each word "You do realize that your refusal to hand it over could result in endless suffering for you and your loved ones you?". Now that Odysseus realized what kind of person she was, he was determined not to let her have his new neural serum. "I'll never hand it over to you!" shouted Odysseus as he suddenly threw the vial containing the serum to the ground where it shattered "I won't let you use my creation to harm mankind you treacherous viper!". The woman's green eyes opened wide from shock and she shot Odysseus the deadliest look he'd ever seen. "You'll regret that Odysseus" hissed the woman in a dangerous tone of voice as she clenched her fist "You and all your loved ones will pay for this!". The woman then stormed off and left Odysseus all by himself. He knew that this woman might just be bluffing in an attempt to get him to cave in to her demands, but he wasn't completely certain. "I can't stay here a moment longer" said Odysseus to himself as he quickly began to gather his things "There's no way I can bring myself to work for her now". Odysseus then took off his labcoat and headed out of the laboratory as quickly as possible. "You'll regret the day you defied me Odysseus" thought the woman as she suddenly walked back into the lab and looked down at the smashed vial and serum spread out on the ground "From this day on your life will never be the same". She quickly knelt down and gathered a bit of the serum into a small vial and left the rest on the ground. _

_"Madame you requested our prescence?" asked the grey haired man as he and the four other men in lab coats entered the office"Is it about Odysseus' serum?". "The serum is everything I hoped it would be" said the woman as she sat at her desk with six champagne glasses in front of her "I'm very impressed". "So you're pleased with it madame?" said the grey haired man "If I may be so bold to ask...when would like us to start replicating it?". "We'll talk about that later" said the woman as she pulled out a bottle of champagne "For now we must toast this incredible new find"._

"These dreams make no sense at all!" said Tea as she leaned onto a glass display case full of Duel Monsters cards "It's almost like the first one I ever had"

After leaving Azure Inc, Tea decided to go and see Yugi since he still had a few hours before his class. When she got there the Turtle Game Shop was quiet and Yugi was just sitting at the counter practically falling asleep. Apparently working at the game shop wasn't everything Yugi had thought since business was pretty slow most of the day. It was even more boring because he didn't really have anyone to talk to since all of his friends were off at school. The moment Tea walked in though, all of that changed and Yugi was suddenly more alert than ever.

"Hmm it starts out the same doesn't it?" said Yugi as he rested his chin on his hand momentarily "You know...now I'm really starting to wonder about those dreams too"

"That dream sounds very familiar if you ask me" suddenly said Mr. Moto who had been in the adjacent stockroom and overheard the whole thing "It's almost like one of my favorite soap operas"

Yugi and Tea just gave each other weird looks since it wasn't the first time someone said that about Tea's dream. Then again even Tea herself thought that her dreams seemed to resemble some sort of soap opera. Mr. Moto just chuckled for a moment, patted Yugi on the back, and handed him a box containing the latest shipment of Duel Monsters cards. Now that Yugi was helping him run the shop in the daytime, Mr. Moto was able to persue other interests. Suddenly his watch beeped and he quickly glanced down at it.

"Speaking of..it's time for that soap opera!" said Mr. Moto happily as he rushed off into the living room as quickly as he could "It was good to see you Tea!"

"My grandfather...the soap opera junkie" said Yugi as he blushed a bit from the embarassment as he looked over at Tea who was busy giggling "I wonder if that's what I'll be like when I reach is age?"

"Well I think he's earned it don't you?" giggled Tea since she never really saw Mr. Moto as the type who liked soap operas "Oh and if anyone's gonna be a soap opera junkie when he's older,it'll probably be Joey"

Whenever Tea visited Yugi it felt just like old times when they'd all just hang out at the shop after school. Yugi shared her feeling, but he also knew that some things had changed. Each day his feelings for her were getting stronger, and he didn't know how long he'd be able to hide it. For now the only thing he could ever bring himself to do was hide his true feelings and just enjoy every minute of her company. _Well at least until it's time for class..._

"Mr. Girard?" said a grey haired bearded man as he approached Raphael, Amelda, and Varon who were sitting in the waiting room at the hospital "I'm Dr. DeWinters"

After recieving the call from Dr. DeWinters, Raphael knew he had to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. The doctor hadn't gone into much detail, but the only thing he was certain of was that one of his most trusted employees was dying. Raphael just ran down to his car, tightly gripped the steering wheel and drove as quickly as he could while Amelda and Varon could only pray that they didn't crash on the way. Finally they reached the hospital and Raphael ran all the way up to the floor Dr. DeWinters had indicated during the call.

"What happened doctor?" said Raphael with a look of concern in his blue eyes as he quickly stood up and looked down at the doctor "Please tell me what happened!"

"Mr. Anderson was brutally attacked by someone in his home this morning" said Dr. DeWinters as he momentarily adjusted his glasses while he looked up at the taller man "He recieved four deep lacerations to the neck and suffered massive blood loss "

Raphael's eyes suddenly grew wide with shock from what he was hearing. Mr. Anderson was pretty much a small, calm, and quiet man who was perhaps in his mid sixties. He did have a highly inquisitve nature though, which could have earned him a few enemies. Then again so did every other lawyer in town. Still...just the thought that someone would actually attack Mr. Anderson made Raphael feel sick.

"Where is he?" said Raphael as he tried his best to remain calm in such a serious situation "Can I please see him doctor?"

"Well he's still unconscious after the surgery I had to perform" said Dr. DeWinters as he looked down at the clipboard in his arms "But I guess it's alright"

Dr. DeWinters led all three men through one of the vast hospital hallways. All around them nurses and doctors were running around like crazy and attending to the many patients there. Raphael and Amelda walked at a quick pace directly behind Dr. DeWinters, while Varon lagged behind. He stopped for a moment and felt a wave of coldness wash over his body, while a flood of bad memories began to fill his mind. For some reason the hallway reminded Varon of when he had been in prison. He closed his eyes and began to feel pain, sorrow, and anger like no other. He felt the pain in his heart when he was thrown into prison accused of burning down a church. He felt sorrow when he remembered how the kind nun who cared for him had died in the fire that destroyed the church. Finally he felt anger when he remembered that Dartz had been the one who committed these acts. _You took everything from me..._

"Varon?"

"Huh?"

"What happened?" asked Raphael as he looked down at Varon with a highly concerned look in his eyes "Are you alright?"

"It's just had a bad memory is all" said Varon as he quickly looked around and realized that Raphael and Amelda were staring at him "It's nothing to worry mate"

"You were having memories about what he did weren't you?" said Amelda as he suddenly lowered his gaze and glanced at the ground "I think we all have those memories.."

"I'm tryin' to get on with my life..." said Varon as he sadly glanced down at the floor since he still felt very upset "But what do I really have to live for?"

"Varon you're still just a teenager" said Raphael in a calm voice as he glanced down at Varon and put his hands on his shoulders "You have your whole life ahead of you"

"He's right you know" said Amelda as he suddenly walked up to them and looked Varon straight in the eyes "You have alot of good things to look forward to"

"You think?" said Varon who was honestly surprised by just how concerned both of them seemed to be about him "Thanks fellas..."

Varon then gave a slight smile and all three proceeded to head down the hallway together. After a few more minutes they finally reached a room and Dr. DeWinters led them all inside. There lay the still unconscious Mr. Anderson who was currently hooked up to a respirator as well as a heart monitor. He was extremely pale, his breathing was labored, and he had very heavy bandages on the left side of his neck as well as his chest. The three of them just silently stared at him since they were honestly shocked by the fact that someone would do such a thing to Mr. Anderson.

"Who did this to him?" said Raphael in a very low voice as he finally broke the silence and glanced over at the doctor "Who?"

"Well over the years I've only seen one person with sort of injury" said Dr. DeWinters as he suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper "He was a victim of "The Society""

"The Society"?" suddenly said Varon with a confused look since he wasn't sure what the doctor was talking about "What are you talking about?"

"The Society of Assassins" better known as The Society" said Amelda as he glanced over at Varon with a slightly annoyed look on his face "You'd know if you watched the news"

Dr. DeWinters nodded and explained to Varon that "The Society of Assassins" was a highly secret international organization led by someone called The Viper. No one really knew much about it other then the fact that it's members were assassins who killed their victims in the most brutal and sickest ways imaginable. Raphael frowned and clenched his fists since he remembered hearing about "The Society" since the time he was a child. They were a plague on society and despite all the efforts of the international police, no one could bring them down. Raphael glanced over at Mr. Anderson and couldn't believe that he might be a victim of these monsters, then again he might not. They would never really know until he woke up and was able to tell them. _Which will hopefully be soon..._

"Thankfully Mr. Anderson's condition seems quite stable" said Dr. DeWinters as he glanced up at Raphael "So at this rate he should wake up within a few days"

"Hopefully" said Raphael as he glanced down at his watch and realized that it had gotten quite late and he had tons of work to catch up on "But if there's any change in his health please call me right away"

"I can't believe we finished this project in one day!" said Mokuba as he looked over the diagram of the human heart that he and Serenity had just made "And it's thanks to you!"

After class was over, Mokuba and Serenity headed over to the Kaiba Mansion in a limo. Usually Mokuba had to ride home all by himself which tended to be pretty boring. Even the chauffeur wouldn't really say anything since he was too busy trying to fight his way through traffic. This day was a pleasant change though since he and Serenity laughed, talked, and joked all the way to the Kaiba Mansion. It was the best limo ride he'd had in all of his life. Once at the mansion though, Serenity was astonished by the place. It was an enormous three story, thirty bedroom, solid white mansion, with the most beautiful rose garden ever. She couldn't believe that such a lavish home only had two occupants. After awhile she and Mokuba headed into the living room, pulled out their books, notes, a huge piece of cardboard, and started their project. At this point Mokuba knew that Serenity was not only lovely, but she was just as smart as he was(maybe even smarter). So it was no surprise that the entire project was complete by 5pm.

"Well I couldn't have done it without you" said Serenity as she smiled and looked over at Mokuba was still marveling over the diagram "It was all thanks to team work"

"Don't be so modest Serenity" said Mokuba as he laughed and pulled a strand of raven black hair behind his ear "You were the brains behind this one"

"Well the good thing is that the project isn't due til Monday" said Serenity as she suddenly stood up "So we have the rest of the week to study for other classes"

At that moment the phone suddenly rang and few seconds later a maid appeared in the living room. Apparently the phone call was addressed to "The Kaibas", so since Seto wasn't there it was alright for Mokuba to take it. Mokuba took the phone and answered and after a few seconds he had a confused look on his face. The call was from someone called Ricky, Rico, or something like that. He wanted to know if they wanted to attend some sort of fashion party that was going to be held at Azure Inc on Saturday night. Mokuba knew there was no way in Hell he could ever make Seto attend any sort of party. He wasn't really interested either and was just going to hang up, but then he looked over and got a brilliant idea.

"Hey Serenity are you doing anything this Saturday night?" asked Mokuba as he quickly glanced over at her "If you aren't would you like to go to a party?"

"No I don't really have any plans for Saturday night" said Serenity who was suddenly intrigued by the thought of a party "What kind of party is it and where is it going to be?"

"It's just a fashion party and it's going to be at Azure Inc at 7:30pm" said Mokuba as his violet eyes lit up for a moment and hoped that she would accept "It's formal wear though"

"A fashion party? Oh I've always wanted to go to one" said Serenity as she suddenly beamed from the excitement "I'd love to go!"

"Great!" cried Mokuba who couldn't contain his excitement at that moment at the fact that she had accepted "Hello? Yeah we'll be there...goodbye!"

At that moment Mokuba felt joy unlike any other since Serenity accepted the invitation. Usually the only time they got to talk and spend any time together was recess time. Now he and Serenity were going to be attend that party and get to hang out outside of a school setting. It was the best moment ever and there was absolutely nothing that could ruin it. _Well almost nothing..._

"Mr. Kaiba? We weren't expecting you at this time" said the maid who opened the door as Seto made his way into the mansion "I'll tell the chef to start preparing your dinner right away!"

"Don't bother I'm not in the mood to eat..." said Seto as he put his silver briefcase down on the ground before looking around "Where's Mokuba?"

The traffic situation in the business district kept getting so bad, that lately he had been getting home til 9pm. This left him absolutely no time to spend with Mokuba, so today he decided to come home early and surprise him.

"Mokuba is in the living room" said the maid as she quickly took Seto's briefcase in order to place it in his room "He and a classmate are in there doing some sort of school project"

"_What_?" thought Seto as the woman quickly nodded her head and began to walk off as he waved his arm to dismiss her "_This better not be what I'm thinking_"

Seto headed down a hallway towards the living room with his white trenchcoat billowing out behind him. As he was approaching the living room he heard Mokuba's laughter along with a girl's laughter. He couldn't believe that Mokuba had not only defied him, but he had the nerve to bring the mutt's sister into his home! This had gone too far and he would put a stop to it. He peered into the living room and realized that Mokuba's back was towards him, but Serenity was facing towards him. She had long auburn hair, soft brown eyes, and an pretty face. She was indeed Serenity Wheeler but she wasn't quite like he remembered her. She had grown up quite a bit and matured into a very beautiful young woman. Suddenly Serenity noticed him and quickly stood up with a startled expression on her face.

"Kaiba" said Serenity as her cheeks suddenly became a bright red shade and he tried her best to hide it "I-I didn't think I'd see you"

"W-What are you doing here Seto?" exclaimed Mokuba who obviously wasn't expecting to see his older brother so early "You're never home at this time"

"What? So now I can't even come home early?" said Seto in a dangerous tone of voice as he began to walk towards them"And just what were you two doing exactly?"

Seto began to head specifically towards Serenity while Mokuba's eyes began to fill with anger. Seto was his older brother and he loved him very much, but he was not going to allow him to offend Serenity. Seto suddenly stopped directly in front of Serenity and gazed at her with his penetrating blue eyes. Now that Seto was seeing her up close, he realized that she was even more beautiful than he thought. Suddenly he came to his senses and stepped away from her.

"I-I think I should get going before Joey starts to worry" said Serenity as she felt her cheeks burning more than ever after the way Seto stared at her "I'll see you tomorrow Mokuba"

"I understand" said Mokuba as he gave Seto a look of anger since he knew very well that Serenity was leaving because of Seto "Well at least let me walk you to the door"

Serenity quickly grabbed her backpack and Mokuba accompanied her on the walk towards the front door. Seto just frowned and shook his head before sitting down on the couch to wait for Mokuba. There was no doubt about it, Mokuba did have feelings for Serenity. Then again the girl was far more attractive than many other girls her age. It was honestly a wonder that she could be related to the mutt. Seto's train of thought was broken when Mokuba suddenly reappeared with a look of anger in his violet eyes.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" shouted Mokuba was beyond angry at his older brother that moment "I bet someone told you and then you came home early just to kick Serenity out! DIDN'T YOU?"

"Don't take that tone of voice with me!" snapped Seto with a dark expression in his eyes as he stood up since he didn't like Mokuba's disrespectful attitude "I came home early because I wanted to spend some time with you"

"Well I don't want to spend any time with you!" shouted Mokuba before he took off running down the hallway and towards the stairs "You can spend your time alone!"

Seto just sighed and rubbed his eyes since he no longer understood Mokuba at all. Mokuba meant everything to Seto, but with each passing day they were seemed to drift further apart. It was getting to the point that Seto feared he might lose Mokuba for good. _Without Mokuba I have nothing..._

"Excuse me?" said Serenity to the limo driver who had been instructed to take her home "But could you please drop me off here?"

"I'm sorry Miss Wheeler but Mokuba gave me intructions to take you home" said the chauffeur as he continued driving "So that's where we're heading"

Serenity had indeed left the Kaiba Mansion because of Seto, but not because he had intimidated her. For several years Serenity had been struggling with something that nobody knew. It was something that she tried to deny but today she realized she no longer could: She had a crush on Seto Kaiba. Serenity knew she shouldn't feel this way, but she could help it. Even though Kaiba was a mean arrogant jerk who enjoyed making everyone's life Hell, he was also really good looking. Now that she was sitting in one of his limos it was another reminder of him, so she knew she had to get out of there.

"Please?" said Serenity in her sweetest tone of voice as she quickly glanced out a window and noticed a pizza restaurant "I promised my brother I'd pick up dinner"

After a few more minutes, Serenity finally managed to convince the chauffeur to drop her off. Of course she also promised not to tell that he had dropped her off. As the limo drove off, Serenity just sighed and felt her cheeks begin to burn again. How could she feel this way about a jerk who looked down at her brother and called him a dog? She just groaned in frustration and began to head towards the restaurant.

"_I hope they didn't put any olives on these" _thought Varon to himself as he carried two pizza boxes in his hand _"Everytime I ask them not to, they always do"_

"_I wonder if I should get one or two pizzas?"_ thought Serenity to herself as she opened the front door "I guess I should get-Hey!"

At that moment Varon was so hungry and anxious to get home that he failed to notice Serenity and bumped right into her. He didn't realize what had happened until he heard her shout. Varon then looked down at the girl and when he did he was shocked since she had a face like an angel. Serenity was also quite surprised when she noticed that Varon had beautiful blue eyes...just like the sky. They could only stand there and silently stare at each other.

"I'm sorry 'bout that miss" said Varon when a growl from his stomach suddenly snapped him out of it "I didn't mean to bump into you"

"That's okay" said Serenity with her usual sweet smile as she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear "I know you didn't mean to"

"My name's Valon by the way" said Varon who was so accustomed to using his pseudonym at the pizza place that he failed to notice it "And you are?"

"I'm Serenity" said Serenity very shyly since she wasn't used to having strange young men talk to her "Well...it was nice meeting you Valon"

They were both complete strangers yet they seemed to have an immediate connection. Varon hadn't really felt this way about anyone except Mai. The beautiful blonde woman entranced him like some sort of Siren. Now this pretty little auburn haired girl was beginning to cause the same feelings, but why?. Serenity didn't know why but this young man standing in front of her made her feel strange. The last time time she'd felt this way was back at the Kaiba Mansion, so why now? But it didn't matter since they would probably never see each other again.

**Friday Evening**

"You mean you're actually going to that woman's party?" laughed Tea as she lay on the couch talking to Alex "I thought it was just a joke"

"I have no choice since Alexandria works for her" groaned Alex who didn't sound like his usual cheerful self "She already got me a tuxedo and everything...so are you going?"

"No way! That lady is crazy" laughed Tea who was having a pretty good time teasing poor Alex "Besides she made it formal wear so I don't have anything to wear"

"But you have to come!" exclaimed Alex who couldn't believe what he was hearing at that moment "I just found out that Arielle and her parents were invited too...please don't leave me alone with her"

Tea remembered that Alex had told her that he and Arielle had gone to the same high school. All throughout high school, Arielle went around picking on people and making them feel bad. The reason was because her parents were extremely wealthy. She was extremely wealthy and used to getting everything she wanted. Now Alex was what she wanted and didn't care who she had to step on to win him over.

"Well I'd like to help you" said Tea who didn't really like leaving him all alone with that nasty little witch "But even if I wanted to go I can't afford to get a dress since my rent is due tomorrow"

"That's okay! I'm sure Alexandria can lend you something" cried Alex excitedly now that he realized there was hope "She's always making all kinds of dresses! Wait a sec.."

Alex put down the phone for a moment and Tea could hear him talking to his sister somewhere in the distance. Their conversation was quite brief and before long someone picked the phone up.

"Hey Tea this is Alexandria" said Alexandria who was more than willing to help Tea since it was pretty obvious that Alex wanted her to go "I just need to know your size and I'll have Alex drop something off for you in awhile"

"I've never seen that sheila before" said Varon as he paced around back and forth through the apartment as he spoke to Raphael on the phone "But there was just something about her Raph"

The day after Varon met Serenity, he was in a more cheerful mood than usual. Raphael was pleased to see him in a better mood despite everything that had happened. Varon hadn't really told them why, until several days later. Amelda honestly wasn't really surprised that Varon had met a girl so he didn't seem too interested. Raphael on the other hand was quite pleased to hear about it. It was a sign that Varon was finally beginning to forget Mai and turning over a new leaf. As Varon was remembering that night at the pizza place, he suddenly realized something...

"Wait a sec...I told her my name was Valon!" exclaimed Varon as he suddenly jumped onto the couch alongside Amelda "Now she probably thinks that's my name!"

"It's your own fault for using a pseudonym!" said Amelda in an irritated tone of voice since it was pretty hard to watch tv with Varon talking so loudly "Besides if you're gonna use a pseudonym then at least pick one that doesn't sound like your real name"

"Well I'm sorry but we can't all be as clever as you Amelda" said Varon as he shot Amelda an annoyed look while still holding the phone "Or should I say Alister?"

Suddenly they both started shouting back and forth at each other. It was mostly just childish name calling though which made it sound more like two children were arguing. Raphael just chuckled though since anytime that Varon and Amelda were fighting though it was a sign that everything was alright. Even little Eatos seemed to agree since she happily mewed as she climbed onto Raphael's lap and looked up at him.

"_Meow!"_

_"I couldn't agree more" _thought Raphael as he stroked the small white kitten with his free hand and held onto the phone with the other _"The day those two stop fighting then we'll worry"_

Finally after a few more minutes of arguing, Amelda just muttered something about going to his room. He honestly didn't want to deal with anymore childish nonsense and just wanted to watch tv in peace. Varon though saw this as him backing down which meant that he had won their latest argument.

"Yeah that's it run off you pansy!" shouted Varon as he comfortably sprawled out on the couch now that he had it to himself "Anyways... you saying Raph?"

"I think you shouldn't worry so much about it, after all Valon sounds alot like your name" said Raphael who was honestly did wonder why Varon used a pseudonym so similar to his real name "_Teenagers..._"

"Why is it that everytime I want to watch tv there's nothing good?" said Amelda to himself as he lay on his bed as he flipped through all the channels "I bet if I were to look outside I'd see something more interesting!"

Amelda continued flipping through all the channels and so far no luck. The only things that were on were either cheesy soap operas, reality shows, or infomercials. Finally he just gave up, tossed the remote aside, and decided to do something else. It was too early to sleep though...so what could he do? He then remembered what he'd said earlier. He was pretty bored so he quickly sat up, opened up the window and looked outside. In the daytime, the view was usually nice since there was a park directly across the street from the apartment. Now it was completely dark and the only thing Amelda could really see was the lights from the highrises downtown, some parked cars, and a few streetlights. His grey eyes scanned the dark scenery, until they came to a lone street lamp. Amelda was not easily shocked, but he certainly was when he realized what he was seeing. The lone street lamp was on the curb directly in front of where his bedroom was. He had seen it dozens of times before, but now it had a new addition. Directly in front of the lone streetlamp now stood an ornate black metal bench. The same metal bench he had seen in his dream...

"What the Hell?" said Amelda as his eyes widened and he stuck his head out the window for a better look "What is this?"

He continued staring in complete and utter disbelief since he had never seen it there before. He assumed that he was hallucinating so he rubbed his eyes and looked again. The bench was still there though which meant that it was real and not imaginary. He could only come to the conclusion that someone had put it there during the day. After a few more minutes of staring at it, he convinced himself that it was just a coincidence and had nothing to do with his dreams. He was pretty satisfied with this, but then he noticed a woman walking towards the bench. Before he knew it, he felt himself tensing up and could only pray that it wasn't who he was thinking...

"Right now I'm outside standing under a streetlamp" said Tea as talked to someone on her cellphone and walked directly under the streetlight "It's the only streetlight that has a bench in front of it"

"_Oh it's just that stupid girl with the platforms..."_ thought Amelda with a disgusted look on his face while looking at Tea's platform boots _"Well at least I know that I'm not going insane"_

Tea continued to pace back and forth in front of the streetlight while talking on her cellphone. Amelda could honestly care less about her and was about to close the window and go back inside. Suddenly at that moment a silver Mercedes pulled up directly in front of Tea and stopped. A few seconds later Alex emerged from the driver's side with a present in his hand. Things were suddenly getting interesting so Amelda decided to see what was going on since he really had nothing better to do. _Lets see what this is about..._

"This is your car?" said Tea who couldn't believe that Alex walked to school when he had a car like this at home "Why don't you ever drive it?"

"Actually this is my dad's car" said Alex with a slightly embarassed look since he sort of expected her to say that "He just let me borrow it for awhile"

"Oh yeah I forgot that your dad is a doctor" said Tea as she felt pretty silly for jumping to conclusions "Sorry about that..."

"Nah it's okay it happens all the time" said Alex with a laugh as he suddenly remembered about the present he was holding "Oh this is for you from my sister"

Alex immediately handed her the present and she looked at it. It was wrapped in very pretty floral print wrapping paper with a pink bow. She knew it was the dress she would be wearing, but why was it gift wrapped? Alex knew she was probably confused at that moment so he cleared everything up.

"In case you're wondering it really is a gift" said Alex as he smiled at her "It's a dress that Alexandria made and she wants you to have it"

"Are you serious?" said Tea who couldn't believe what she was hearing "I can't believe this! I'll have to thank her when I see her"

"Hey I have an idea" said Alex as he glanced over at the Mercedes and then back at Tea "Why don't I pick you up tomorrow and we can go together?"

Tea agreed to the idea and before long Alex headed back to the car and drove off. Tea then glanced at the gift and could only wonder what kind of dress it was. She then ran off to her apartment in order to find out. Amelda had been watching the scene the entire time even though he couldn't hear what they were saying. Apparently Tea's little friend was a rich boy who seemed a bit too happy. In fact Alex's constant laughing and smiling had annoyed Amelda the entire time. Even Varon wasn't able to laugh and smile so much in such a short period of time. He was also kind of curious though about why he had given her a gift. Was it a birthday gift...or perhaps something else? _Hmm..._

"_Wait a second why the Hell do I care?_" thought Amelda when he realized that he was acting like a nosy old woman "_This is just pathetic_"

He then closed the windows, lay back down, picked up the remote control and resumed his search to find something decent to watch. After a few more minutes of flipping he came to one conclusion yet again. _I need to get cable..._

To be continued

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for the reviews guys! I really appreciate them and they're pretty helpful! Oh and yet another reminder about future OOCness! Hugs and kisses! ;D


	7. Woman Of My Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, or any of the characters(except the ones made up by me), or Barbie doll, so don't sue me:D

**Woman Of My Dreams**

_"Amelda!" cried out Miruko's innocent little voice "Come on big brother wake up!". Amelda quickly opened his eyes but when he did, Miruko wasn't there as usual._

_He glanced down and realized that he was an adult and that a dense fog was surrounding him. "Miruko?" said Amelda as he desperately looked around "Miruko where are you?". "Just follow the light" suddenly said a soft female voice somewhere in the darkness "It'll lead you to them". At that moment a single light began to glow dimly somewhere in the distance so he began to follow it. After a few seconds the fog completely vanished and he realized that the light was coming from the same lone street lamp. Much to his surprise there stood Miruko smiling straight at him beside the black metal bench and the lady in black. "Big brother!" cried Miruko excitedly when he saw Amelda standing there "You found us!". Suddenly a chilling gust of wind blew out of nowhere and frightened Miruko so much that he jumped up and clung to the woman's dress. "Don't be scared" said the woman in a reassuring voice as she spoke for the first time ever "I'll protect you". "Really?" said Miruko as he slowly began to let go of her dress and looked up at her "Then I'll protect you". Amelda was really confused at this point but he slowly approached them anyways. "My big brother will protect you too!" announced Miruko proudly when he noticed him slowly approaching them "Right Amelda?". No sooner had Miruko spoken these words, a dense fog surrounded everything once again. When it subsided, Miruko was gone but the woman was still standing there. Her back was turned to Amelda as usual but now he had actually gotten to hear her voice. Her voice was that of a younger woman and it was not the same one that spoke to him from the darkness. "Who are you?" said Amelda as he suddenly grasped her left shoulder and tried to see her face "Who?". _

_"Who?"_

RING RING RING!

"Huh?" groaned Amelda as he slowly opened his eyes and realized that his cellphone was ringing even though it was 5am in the morning "What the Hell?"

He slowly stretched his arm, reached over onto the nightstand, and decided to see who call him at such a time. Once he got a look at the caller ID he realized that it was Raphael. Raphael wasn't much of a morning person so why would he be calling at this time? It was probably something important, so Amelda flipped open his phone and sleepily muttered something.

"Sorry for waking you up at this time" said Raphael who realized that it was a pretty crazy time to call "But I couldn't sleep since I've been thinking some things over"

"Thinking about what?" muttered Amelda who was still more asleep than awake at that moment

"About that party tonight" said Raphael with noticeable displeasure in his voice "As much as I hate to say this...I'm going to it"

Raphael then explained that as much as he hated to admit it, he owed it to her. There were several fashion designers who resided at Azure Inc now, but none even came close to Constantina. Aside from the fact that she was strange and unpredictable, she was actually quite well known. In fact many people wondered why Constantina would even affiliate herself with a failed company like Azure Inc. Yet for some unknown reason she was there and she was bringing in more money than anyone could have imagined. After much thinking Raphael realized it was wise to stay on good terms with her. So if she wanted to throw a party why not? She'd earned it...although there was one catch.

"I'm also attending her party for another reason" said Raphael as he slowly rubbed one of his temples "I want to make sure things don't get out of hand"

"I'd probably do the same thing if I were in your place" said Amelda as slowly began to sit up in his bed "I don't trust that woman at all"

"Oh and there's one other thing too" said Raphael who finally revealed his true reason for calling Amelda so early in the morning "Since I'm going I need the two of you there as well"

"WHAT?" shouted Amelda as he suddenly jumped up and found himself wide awake from the shock "But-but-"

Raphael was prepared for Amelda to react in such a way so he knew just what to say. He then explained that he really just wanted them there so he wouldn't be completely alone. Especially since he had no choice but to stay there til the entire thing was over. After listening to what Raphael had to say, Amelda agreed to go and to get Varon to go as well. _By whatever means necessary..._

**Saturday Evening**

"Hey ya guys made it!" exclaimed Joey as he opened up the front door of his apartment and found Yugi and Tristan standing there holding pizza, chips, and sodas "And ya got da snacks too!"

Every Saturday night Yugi, Tristan, Joey, and Tea would meet up and to watch movies and eat junk food. At this point it was tradition and they never missed it no matter what. Once everyone was in the living room though, Joey realized that one member of their little movie/junk food club was missing.

"Hey where's Tea?" asked Joey as he took the snacks and put them all out on the coffee table "Did she forget dat today's Saturday or somethin?"

"Actually she's not going to make it tonight" said Yugi as he took his usual seat on the couch "She was invited to some kind of fashion party"

"Typical girl stuff" said Tristan as he took his usual spot on the recliner sofa and began to eat a slice of pizza "I mean what's a fashion party anyways?"

"I dunno but Serenity's goin ta one too" said Joey as he plopped down close to Yugi and helped himself to some pizza as well "She's waitin for her friend ta pick her up"

Suddenly Serenity entered the living room and when Tristan saw her he nearly choked on his pizza. She was wearing a very pretty full length pale pink dress, a sheer pink shawl on her shoulders, and a cute little pink purse. Her long auburn hair was also neatly pulled up into a high ponytail and showed off her lovely face.

"Hi guys" said Serenity shyly since she didn't expect to find Yugi and Tristan there as well "Um...so how do I look? Alright?"

"You look very lovely right now Serenity" said Yugi with a warm smile as he looked straight at the girl "Just like a princess"

"You look hot right now!" exclaimed Tristan as he ran forward and attempted to kiss her hand "You look so hot right now that-"

Before Tristan knew what had happened, Joey had pulled him away from Serenity and thrown him back into the recliner. There was no way Joey was going to let a pervert(even if it was his friend) get fresh with his litter sister in his own home. Joey then looked back at Serenity and couldn't believe just how grown up his little sister was.

"Yugi's right...ya look jus like a princess" said Joey as he gave Serenity a reassuring smile as they both headed towards the front door "Now remember ta be back by 11pm okay?"

"Don't worry I will" said Serenity with a sweet smile before stepping out the front door "See you guys later!"

"Bye Serenity!" cried out the still lovestruck Tristan as he tried to run towards her but was restrained by Joey "I'll be waiting for you!"

_"Note ta self" _thought Joey as he began to drag Tristan away from the front door _"Kick dis pervert outta da apartment before 11pm"_

"And what gave you the liberty of just taking off like this?" said Seto as he spoke to Mokuba on his cellphone "You're not just supposed to leave like that!"

Once again Seto had made plans to try and more spend time with Mokuba. When he got there though he was surprised to find out that Mokuba and one of the limos were gone. The only thing Mokuba had told the maids was that he was going out to a party. Once Seto found out he was pretty furious so he decided to call Mokuba and see where he was exactly.

"What are you so worked up about?" said Mokuba as he rolled his eyes while waiting outside of the apartment building where Serenity lived "I'm just going to a party with a friend".

"A party?" said Seto as he frowned since he didn't like the fact that Mokuba was acting as if he did nothing wrong "You know you're supposed to ask for my permission first!"

"I hate to break it to you Seto but I'm not a kid anymore!" said Mokuba who hated the fact that Seto obviously still saw him as a child "So get over it and stop treating me like a one!"

Mokuba then abruptly hung up the phone and turned if off to keep Seto from calling back. He knew very well that Seto was capable of showing up and dragging him back home. At that moment Serenity walked up and Mokuba couldn't believe his eyes. Serenity looked even more beautiful than he ever could have imagined. There was no way he was going to let Seto ruin this evening.

"Oh Tea dear you look so lovely right now!" squealed the manager of Tea's building when she opened her door and found Tea there "Are you going someplace?"

"I'm going to a party with a friend right now Mrs. Dominguez" said Tea as she handed something to the woman "But first I wanted to bring you the check for this month's rent".

Much to Tea's surprise the dress that Alex's sister sent her was the same one that she wanted to show Constantina. The dress was solid black, full length, strapless, and Alexandria had even included some long black gloves. The gloves went up past her elbow and covered most of her arms. Tea's hair was in it's usual hairstyle though since she really didn't want to overdo it. Either way she looked very lovely and Mrs. Dominguez was absolutely delighted to see her. At times Tea felt that even Mrs. Dominguez cared more about her than her own mother...

"Oh with which friend will you be going?" said Mrs. Dominguez with a curious look on her face and a twinkle in her brown eyes "Joseph, Tristan, or Yugi? I bet it's Yugi!"

"Actually I'm not going with any of them" said Tea who was surprised that Mrs. Dominguez actually knew her friends names "I'm going with a friend named Alex"

"Oh well I won't keep you then dear" said Mrs. Dominguez with a warm almost motherly smile on her face "Have a good time and be safe!"

Tea quickly made herself outside and quickly took her cellphone out to look at the time. It was already 6:50pm which meant that Alex would be there very soon. She then quickly walked all the way down the street and finally reached the spot where they had met the previous night. She then sat down on the black metal bench since her shoes were already starting to kill her. Then again no one ever said that four inch heels were supposed to be comfortable.

"_I'd better hurry up since I'm already late!" _thought Alex as he quickly locked the front door and bega to walk towards his father's car "_I can't believe how long it took me to get into this stupid tuxedo"_

Alex was just about to unlock the driver's side door when he heard someone clear their throat and he looked up. Much to his shock there stood Arielle with a wicked grin on her beautiful face. She was wearing a very tightfitting full length strapless fuchsia gown and her hair was styled in golden ringlets. She reminded Alex of a Barbie doll...a cheap Barbie doll. She then walked up to him and gently stroked his cheek. _You will be mine..._

"What are you doing here Arielle?" said Alex as he frowned and pushed her hand away "Shouldn't you be at that party already?"

"I am going to the party" said Arielle as she gave him a seductive grin and suddenly gripped his arm "But since we're both going there why don't we go together?"

"Sorry but I'm already going with someone else" said Alex as he pulled his arm away from her "Now excuse me but I've got to go pick her up"

"You're going with her aren't you?" said Arielle as her blue-green eyes filled with a rage when she realized who he meant "You're going with Tea!"

"That's none of your business" said Alex as his car keys accidently slipped out of his hands and he knelt down to retrieve them "Now excuse me but I'm going to be late"

Alex never would have imagined what would happen to him next. When Arielle was angry she was capable of anything as Alex would learn. He never even got to pick up his car keys since the next thing he felt was a sharp blow to the head and then everything went dark. Arielle just breathed heavily and suddenly her eyes widened in horror when she realized that she had just kicked Alex in the head as hard as she could. Now Alex lay facedown and unconscious on the driveway. She quickly looked around to make sure there were no witnesses before running away. _I didn't want to hurt you...but you left me no choice._

Oh dahlings you came!" squealed Constantina as she teetered towards Raphael, Amelda, and Varon on her stilletos "I knew you would!"

The three tuxedo clad men had just entered Constantina's party and realized that it was at full capacity. The figured that they would never run into her in there with so many people. Unfortunately they didn't count on her find them instead. Constantina was looking fairly normal since she was wearing a long black ballgown with a matching jacket. She wasted no time in hugging the three of them like crazy. During this time she also took the liberty of squeezing Amelda's butt and pinching Varon on the cheeks. It was no wonder that they both suddenly ran off and left Raphael all alone.

"Oh come with me Raphael dahling!" said Constantina as she suddenly tugged at Raphael's arm and began to drag him off "I have some people you simply must meet!"

"_It's going to be a long night..."_ thought Raphael to himself as Constantina pulled him into the crowd of people "_A very VERY long night..."_

"Can you believe the nerve of that woman?" said Amelda as he and Varon hid in a dark corner and watched Raphael get dragged off "What the Hell's wrong with her?"

"She's nuts mate.." said Varon with a bored look on his face and a sudden wistful sigh "I can't believe we've gotta spend our Saturday night here...it's not fair!"

For once Amelda had to agree since he really didn't want to be there either. There were many people walking around, chatting, drinking, and laughing like crazy. They were all either close friends of Constantina, employees, loyal fans, other designers, and a few random people that were there for no reason. Both young men just sighed and could just hope that the party would end early for some reason or other.

**Two Hours Later**

"Mokuba I feel so out of place here" said Serenity very nervously as she observed what many of the other women were wearing "Are you sure I look alright?"

"Trust me you look great!" said Mokuba who at that moment was just happy to finally be alone with Serenity "In fact you look alot better than lots of these other women!"

Almost immediately after arriving, Mokuba and Serenity found a place to sit and started to talk. They both just sat, talked, and laughed about things that they could never talk about in school. They were having a pretty good time with each other but then Serenity noticed people staring at them. She could only assume that they were looking down at her since it was obvious she wasn't rich. What Serenity never imagined was that people were indeed staring but not for the reason she thought. Many were simply intrigued by her angelic beauty, while a few of the girls were simply jealous. Mokuba looked around the party and when he did he noticed someone that looked very familar...but could it really be him?

"Hey Serenity I'm gonna go check something out okay?" said Mokuba as he quickly stood up since he was determined to find out "I'll be right back okay?"

"Okay" said Serenity who was honestly starting to feel even more uncomfortable now that he had left her alone "_Oh please let him come back soon"_

_"So many pretty sheilas but none like her" _thought Varon as he stood next to Amelda and tried his best not to pass out from boredom _"I wonder if I'll ever see her again?"_

The party was honestly the most boring thing Varon had ever attended. The only reason he was there was because Amelda had convinced him that it would be wrong to leave Raphael all alone. So far though they had spent all of their time hiding in the same spot since there was no sign of Raphael. The only thing Varon could really do was stare at all the pretty girls at the party. He just kept looking around and that's when he happened to notice a beautiful girl sitting by herself. After looking at her for a few few seconds, he realized that it was the same girl he had just been thinking about. Before he even knew what was happening he felt himself pushing through the crowd to get to her.

"I have to know more about her! I just have to-" said Varon as he headed towards her before someone abruptly bumped into him "Ow! Why don't you watch where you're go-Mai?"

"Huh?" said the blonde haired woman clad in a violet dress that perfectly matched the color of her eyes "Varon? What are you doing here?"

At that moment Varon's eyes opened wide and he just stared in complete disbelief. The last time Varon had seen Mai was two years before when the Doom Organization disbanded. He had never fully forgotten his feelings for her, but after awhile he had simply resigned himself. He figured he was never going to see Mai ever again so perhaps it was best to move on. Yet here she was once again and she was looking even more beautiful that Varon remembered. At that moment his old feelings were quickly rekindled.

"Varon?" said Amelda as he suddenly turned around and noticed that Varon had suddenly vanished "Hmm a pretty girl must have walked by when I wasn't looking"

Amelda suddenly realized that he was completely all alone in this horrible place. He then glanced over and noticed two men eyeing him. One of the men had bleached blonde hair, light blue tinted glasses, and wore a leopard print suit. The other man wore the same things but his suit was zebra print. They both giggled like crazy and seemed to be trying to flirt with him. Amelda suddenly felt a shiver go down his spine since it wasn't the first time such a thing had happened to him. Suddenly the safari duo began to head towards him. He then decided that this was an emergency and he had to leave right away. Besides it's not like anyone would really notice that he was gone. After all Raphael was currently kidnapped by a crazy woman, while Varon was off probably chasing girls.

"Oh where did that hottie go?" said the guy in the leopard print suit as he took off his glasses "He was right here a minute ago!"

"It's all your fault!" huffed the guy in the zebra print suit as he put his hands on his hips "He ran when he saw that hideous suit of yours!"

"You're one to talk!" said the leopard man as he turned away from his friend "The fashion police needs to arrest you!"

"I could have sworn I just saw him here" said Mokuba as he reached the spot where Amelda had been hiding "Um..excuse me have you two seen a guy with red hair that was just standing here?"

"That's what I'd like to know too" sighed the zebra man as he wrapped his arms around his body "He was really something"

Mokuba then noticed what they were wearing and began to giggle. Never in his life had seen such ridiculous clothes before. The two men didn't notice though since they were too busy wondering where Amelda had run off too. Well at least the safari duo helped confirm that Amelda really had been there. Mokuba giggled a bit more and headed back to go back to where Serenity was.

"Mai I never thought I'd see you again.." said Varon with a look of complete happiness on his face "How've you been?"

"I've been good" said Mai as she looked at Varon who still looked just like she remembered "So...how have you been?"

After the Doom Organization disbanded, Mai figured that she'd never see any of the other members again. She was surprised to hear that Raphael had become the new CEO of Azure Inc. Even then she never figured she'd run into Varon ever again since she just assumed that the three "Swordsmen of Doom" had gone their own seperate ways. Apparently not since Varon told her that he and Amelda now worked for Raphael. Varon seemed pretty happy but after talking to him for a few more minutes she realized something. He unfortunately still seemed to have feelings for her. She didn't want to give him any false hopes, so she knew what she'd have to do.

"Varon...I've already moved on with my life" said Mai as she looked down for a moment at the champagne glass in her hand "I think you should too"

"But you are a part of my life Mai" said Varon who couldn't believe what she was saying "You don't realize how much seeing you again means to me"

"Believe me you want nothing to do with me" said Mai as she turned away for a moment "You deserve to find a sweet girl who'll treat you like you deserve"

"But at least give me a chance!" said Varon who was determined not to get her get away from him again "I really care about you and-"

"Look Varon it was nice to see you" said Mai as she gripped Varon's shoulders and looked into his eyes "But I think some things are best left in the past"

Mai then tossed her golden locks over her shoulders and walked off into the crowd. She figured Varon would never want to see her again after what she said. Varon didn't even know what to think, but when he glanced over he got a sign. Mokuba and Serenity walked by arm in arm at that moment and they looked very happy. Varon sighed dejectly since he should have known that such a beauty would be taken. Perhaps it was also fate's way of telling him which path to take. Maybe he was destined to be with Mai and now was his chance to win her over. He never would have suspected that Mokuba and Serenity were just friends though...

**Awhile Later**

"This has been a very disturbing night" said Amelda as he walked down the far end of the street where he lived "Next time I'm staying home no matter what"

After exiting the Azure Inc building he decided to just walk back home. It was a very nice and quiet night and the stars were shining high above the city and the moon was full. He suddenly gave a slight laugh when he remembered how Miruko always used to believe that zombies came out when the moon was full. It was always up to him to calm the little boy and assure him that such things only happened in movies. He then sighed sadly and looked down at the pavement when he remembered he'd never see his little brother again. He knew he'd have to live many sad and lonely years before being reunited with his family. He continued walking and was just about to take the path leading up to the apartment when he noticed something.

"_WHAT?"_ thought Amelda as his jaw dropped and his grey eyes opened wide in disbelief at what he was seeing "_Am I going crazy?"_

Not too far from him stood the lone street lamp and the small metal bench that had been put in earlier that week. That part didn't shock him anymore, but now he was seeing something that did shock him: The lady in black. She was just standing there with her back turned to him as usual and she seemed to be glancing out onto the street. Amelda couldn't even speak from the shock when he realized that she existed. Before he knew what was happening, he felt himself walking towards her. At this moment he was determined to find out who she truly was. _You're literally the woman of my dreams..._

"_Alex what happened to you?"_ thought Tea as she stood underneath the street lamp facing out onto the street _"Did you forget about me or what?"_

Tea had been waiting outside in the same spot for about three hours at that point. For the first hour she figured that Alex was just late so she continued to wait. After the second hour she began to worry about him. So she began to call his cellphone but it just kept ringing which meant that he didn't have it with him or was simply ignoring it. Finally as 10pm rolled around she came to a realization: Alex had forgotten about her or had just decided not to come. Still a part of her refused to believe that and honestly wondered whether he was actually alright.

_"Well I can only hope that he is alright" _thought Tea as she looked down and realized that she had gotten all dressed up for nothing _"Well I guess it's time to go put on something comfortable"_

Tea was about to go back to her apartment when she suddenly felt someone put their hand on her left shoulder. It was nothing out of the ordinary but the moment she tried to turn around and see who it was, she began to feel really strange. Her body began to feel very limp and it was the most terrifying thing she'd ever felt. She tried her best to move away but before she had a chance to do so a wave of darkness washed over her. She immediately began to lose consciousness and felt herself falling to the ground. The last thing she remembered was feeling someone wrap their arms around her before completely losing consciousness.

"What the Hell?" said Amelda as he quickly caught the falling woman before she fell to the ground "What happened?"

After Amelda touched the woman's shoulder, she began to turn her head but then she stopped. She seemed to be frozen for a few seconds before trying to move away from him. Before she got a chance to do so, she suddenly fainted for some reason. Amelda quickly caught her before she hit the ground though and now she was in his arms. From what he could see she was definitely the same woman from his dreams. She wore the same long black dress, long black gloves, and she had dark shoulder length hair. Her head was slumped down and facing away from him though so he couldn't see her face at that moment. He felt his heart pounding like crazy since the suspense was killing him. He couldn't wait a second longer so he very gently reached down and tilted her face towards him. The moment he saw her face, his eyes opened wide in shock and he nearly dropped her.

"No!" exclaimed Amelda as he stared down at the girl in his arms in complete disbelief "It can't be! It can't be her!"

Nothing in the world could have prepared him for what he was seeing. The mysterious lady in black from his dreams was real and her name was Tea Gardner.

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: Once again thank you so much for all of the reviews! Oh and sorry for all the reading but I had no choice but to do this in two chapters. Ah and I hope no one objects to the whole tension between the Kaiba brothers(I love those guys!). Hugs and kisses people:)


	8. Alister

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters(except the ones I made up) so don't sue me:D

**Alister**

"_Why? Why her?"_ thought Amelda as he glanced down at the still unconscious Tea whom he had placed on the bench _"Of all the women in the world why did it have to be her?"_

Amelda honestly didn't even know what to think of the entire situation. He couldn't believe that it turned out that Tea was the woman who kept appearing in his dreams. He honestly knew absolutely nothing about her other than the fact that her name was Tea. The only other thing he really knew about her was that she was Yugi's little girlfriend. So how could it be possible that she was the woman he had been dreaming about all those nights? He just shook his head and decided that maybe he should just pretend that nothing had happened. He the began to walk away, but then he suddenly heard a very familiar voice.

_"My big brother will protect you too!" _echoed Miruko's young innocent voice in Amelda's memory "_Right Amelda?"_

_"Miruko..." _thought Amelda as he came to a sudden stop in disbelief at what he was hearing "_ Why are you doing this?"_

Miruko's voice continued to repeat the same thing over and over for a few seconds. It was obvious that even if Miruko only appeared in Amelda's dreams, he still expected him to do the right thing. Finally Amelda sighed, turned around, and began to head back towards the bench. He knew that as much as he disliked the girl, he couldn't just leave her there. He figured it was probably best to just take her back home, but where did she live? He suspected that she lived on the same street but in which on the buildings? He then remembered that she had a small black purse with her so he quickly opened it up. Inside he found a cellphone, some keys, and her driver's licence. The driver's licence stated that she was Tea Aida Gardner and that she resided at 4900 Apricot St #24. Amelda then realized that she lived in the very last building on the opposite end of the street. He then quickly picked Tea up in his arms and began to head towards where she lived. _The sooner I get her home the better._

"Oh Raphael dahling I have someone else you simply must meet!" said Constantina as she tugged at his arm "Come along dahling!"

_"Just how many friends does this woman have?" _thought Raphael unhappily as the woman pulled him off again _"She's been introducing me to people all night long"_

So far Raphael was still stuck with Constantina since she just wouldn't let him go. She was latched on to his arm and she simply pulled him around back and forth. So far she had pretty much introduced him to everyone present. A few of the people were weirdos like her, but a few of the others were actually quite normal. So far the most interesting ones of all were a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Beauregard. The Beauregards were good friends of Constantina but they had also known Raphael's father. Both of them were chemists and they had worked at Azure Inc up til it was bought out by Obsidian Inc. The continued talking for awhile until a blonde girl in a fuschia dress quietly approached them. She was quite pale and looked almost as if though something had frightened her.

"Oh there you are Arielle!" squealed Constantina as she suddenly grabbed the girl by the arm and looked up at Raphael "This is their sweet little girl!"

Suddenly Constantina began reminiscing about the old days and began to tell some long and pointless story. Apparently Arielle and Constantina's son were childhood friends or something. The Beauregard's just laughed and smiled as she told the story but their daughter slowly walked off and sat in a corner. How Raphael wished he that he could do the same but alas he was trapped with no hopes of escaping. Finally her story came to an end and both she and her friends were in tears from the laughter. The Beauregard's then excused themselves and walked off to get more champagne. Constantina then looked around for awhile and then she looked up at Raphael.

"Oh there's no one left to introduce you to dahling" said Constantina as she continued gripping his arm as she looked up at him "I already introduced you to everyone"

_"Thank goodness"_ thought Raphael when he realized that he could finally get away from her _"I think I should just go home now and-"_

Before Raphael was even able to finish that thought, he felt Constantina pull him off again. This time she dragged him off to an area where there were some people dancing. She then stated that he needed to have more fun so now they would dance. He didn't even have time to agree or disagree since before he knew it, she was clinging to him and slow dancing. _This is a night I'll never forget...no matter how hard I try_

Mokuba and Serenity emerged from the building since it was time for Serenity to go home. After all if she didn't get home on time then Joey would probably show up and take her home. _Older brothers can really be overprotective sometimes..._

"Thank you so much for bringing me to the party with you" smiled Serenity as she and Mokuba stopped in front of the limo "I had a really good time"

"I'm glad you had a good time" smiled Mokuba as he looked down and admired Serenity's beauty in the moonlight "Thanks to you I had a really good time too"

Mokuba then gently took Serenity's hand and helped her into the limo before getting in himself. The chauffeur then quickly closed the back door, went back to the driver's side, and started up the limo. At this point Mokuba was completely certain about one thing: he liked Serenity. She was sweet, funny, caring, and possibly the best girl he'd ever met.

_"I've found the perfect girl" _thought Mokuba as he looked over at Serenity as she gazed out a window at something _"And I don't care what you think Seto"_

Serenity did enjoy the rest of the night since Mokuba was sweet, friendly, and very funny. He was absolutely the best friend she'd had in a long time and she truly loved hanging out with him. This evening though, she realized that she enjoyed Mokuba's prescence for another reason.The more time she spent with Mokuba, the more she would think of Kaiba. Those stunning cold blue eyes, that arrogant smirk, that tall statuesque body...he was gorgeous. The more she thought about Kaiba though, the stronger her feelings grew. A part of her knew very well that Kaiba would never like her, yet the other part felt some hope.

_"I know I shouldn't feel this way about Kaiba"_ thought Serenity as she noticed a young man with wild brown hair walking down the street _"But I do..."_

"Why would she just disappear like that?" thought Varon whose hands were in his pockets as he headed back home "I don't understand it.."

Varon didn't realize that Mai had left the party thanks to him. The way he had followed her around reminded her too much of a lovesick puppy. It was obvious that he just didn't get it. In the end she decided that it was probably just best to leave and not get his hopes up. So after spending the last hour searching for her in vain, he finally realized she wasn't there. There was no real point in being there so he decided that maybe he should just go home too. After all it's not like anyone would notice right? Raphael was currently dancing with Constantina for some reason and Amelda was probably still hiding in his corner. The only good thing about that evening was that he found Mai once again and rediscovered his feelings for her.

"_I'll find you again Mai" _thought Varon to himself as he looked up at the full moon for a moment _"And I'll finally make you understand just what you mean to me"_

"There you are!" said Mrs. Dominguez as she opened her door and found a tabby sitting there looking at her "Right on schedule!"

Mrs. Dominguez had been getting ready for bed when she heard a clawing sound at the door. She opened it and surely enough her cat was sitting there waiting for her to let it in. She knelt down, picked up the cat, and was about to close the door when something caught her eye. A young man she had never seen before had just entered the building.

"_She lives in apartment #24 so that must be on the second floor" _thought Amelda as he stopped and looked around the strange building _"But where are the stairs?"_

After a few seconds Amelda noticed where the stairs were so he quickly began to headed towards them. At this point all he wanted to do was leave Tea at her apartment, go back home, and get some sleep. Mrs. Dominguez just stood there looking like a deer caught in some headlights. Not only had she not seen this young man before, but he had been carrying an unconscious Tea in his arms.

"Who is that young man and what happened to Tea?" cried Mrs. Dominguez who was extremely shocked at that moment "I have to get to the bottom of this!"

She quickly headed up the stairs and decided to find out what was going on. When she reached the top of the stairs, Amelda was knocking on the door to Tea's apartment. He honestly didn't know whether Tea lived alone or with anyone, so he decided to check first. After knocking the door a few more times there was no response which meant that she probably did live alone. He then had no choice but to pull out her housekeys and start trying to open the door. Luckily there were only two locks so he quickly got the door open and headed into the apartment.

_"Hmm I wonder if he could be the friend Tea was going out with tonight?" _thought Mrs. Dominguez as she continued to spy on Amelda "_Well I guess there's only one way to find out"_

Tea's apartment was completely dark, but Amelda didn't bother looking for the light switch. He noticed that there was some light coming in through a window in living room and it shone down on the couch. He then decided that the couch was a good spot to leave her so he walked over and placed her there. Now that he observed her, he still couldn't believe that she was the woman who kept appearing his dreams night after night.

"_I still don't understand why I would dream about you" _thought Amelda as he glanced down at Tea _"I've only seen you about two or three times in my entire life"_

He continued observing her and realized that she actually looked quite different now. The black dress and long gloves made her look much more sophisticated and mature. It was definitely an improvement over her usual choice in clothes. Then again clothes didn't really mean that much as Amelda knew firsthand. For most of his teenage years he had to endure countless taunts(courtesy of Varon) due to his choice in clothes. Just because he wore a midriff bearing tanktop didn't mean that he was a sissy, pansy, or any other name Varon had called him. It also didn't mean that he was gay, much to the disappointment of men that tried to hit on him. He then came to his senses and decided that this night was something he wanted to forget. He glanced at her one last time before turning around and heading to the door. As soon as he opened it though he found a short woman just standing there.

"Oh hello there!" said Mrs. Dominguez as she stared up at Amelda while trying to seem nonchalant "Is Tea home right now?"

_"Great just what I needed"_ thought Amelda who was immediately annoyed by this woman "She is but she's asleep right now"

"Oh you must be her friend right?" said Mrs. Dominguez as she noticed that Amelda was wearing a tuxedo "She told me your name..oh dear what was it?"

Mrs. Dominguez was actually trying to trick the young man into revealing his name. She knew very well that Tea's new friend was named Alex, but she wanted to determine if he was Alex. The young man was wearing a tuxedo indicating that he had probably been at the same party she had attended. Then again he could just be some pervert who happened to wear a tuxedo for no reason. Either way if he wasn't Alex then she would have no choice but to make a scene. Amelda knew very well what game this woman was playing. She wasn't going to be satisfied until she knew he what his name was. He knew he couldn't tell her what his real name was since she'd probably tell Tea. There was no harm in using his middle name though...

"_This should work_" thought Amelda to himself before looking down at the woman and speaking "My name's Alister"

"Alister?" said Mrs. Dominguez with a bit of a confused look on her face since now she wasn't sure if it was the right person "I thought it was Alex"

"Alex is short for Alister" lied Amelda since he didn't want this woman to continue questioning him "Well I have to get going now"

Amelda then moved past Mrs. Dominguez and quickly headed down the stairs and out of the building. The last thing he needed was for that woman to follow him. Luckily he had done a good job of convincing her so she just returned to her own apartment and went to bed. Although she did plan to ask Tea about it in the morning...

_"Huh?" thought Tea as she suddenly opened her eyes and realized she was sitting on the bench in her black dress "Why am I still here?". She then stood up and realized that everything was dark and foggy. "What's going on?" thought Tea as she looked around "What is all of this?". Suddenly she felt someone tug at her dress and when she looked down she saw a little boy. He had messy red hair, big grey eyes, and was possibly the cutest little boy Tea had ever seen. "Hi there!" said the little boy with a big smile on his face as he looked at her "It was about time you woke up". "Who are you?" said Tea as she looked down at the cute little boy "What am I doing here?". "My name's Miruko" said the little boy as he went over and sat on the bench "And we're both here for the same reason". "We are?" said Tea as she looked at the little boy as he happily kicked his legs "What reason is that?". "We're waiting for my big brother!" said Miruko whose eyes lit up the moment he said this "He should be here soon!". "Your big brother?" said Tea who didn't understand what was going on "Who's your-". At that moment the little boy's eyes suddenly widened, he smiled, and jumped off of the bench. "There he is!" cried Miruko as happily as he could "Look my big brother is here!". Tea quickly spun around and when she did she noticed a man in a tuxedo standing about ten feet away from them. He was partially hidden in the shadows so the only thing Tea could determine was that he was a redhead. Miruko then ran forward towards the man and jumped into his arms. They spoke for a few seconds before he put the boy back down and Miruko happily ran back to where Tea was. "Come on!" cried Miruko happily as he grabbed Tea's hand and tried to pull her forward "I want you to meet my brother!". "Who is he though?" said Tea as she continued looking at the man in the shadows "What's his name?". "Well he's got two names" said Miruko as he continued tugging at her hand "Alot of the times he calls himself Alister". "Alister?" thought Tea as finally began to walk along with the child "Well what's his other other name?". "His other name is what most people call him" said Miruko as they headed towards the man "It's-"_

**Knock Knock Knock**

"Huh?" said Tea as she opened her eyes and realized that it was daytime and that someone was at the door "J-Just a minute!"

Tea quickly sat up and was surprised to find that she had been lying on the couch. She was also surprised to find that she was still wearing the dress from last night. She took a few seconds to try and remember what had happened, but she couldn't seem to do so. The knocking continued so she quickly stood up, walked over to the door, and when she opened it she found Mrs. Dominguez there. Tea then began to feel embarassed when she realized that Mrs. Dominguez had seen her in that same dress the previous night.

"Good morning Tea!" chirped Mrs. Dominguez as she looked up at Tea "So how are you feeling today? Alright?"

"I feel alright.." said Tea as she continued to wonder why she had woken up on the couch "But why do you ask?"

"Well last night a young man brought you here" said Mrs. Dominguez who couldn't wait to hear what Tea had to say "You were asleep when he brought you"

Tea's eyes suddenly widened in shock since she hadn't expected to hear that. Someone had brought her back home? Who? Who was it? Judging from Tea's reaction, Mrs. Dominguez realized that something definitely wasn't right. It was obvious that she hadn't expected to hear that someone had brought her home. Suddenly Tea begged Mrs. Dominguez to tell her what the young man had looked like.

"Well he was tall, had red hair, and grey eyes" said Mrs. Dominguez who hadn't expected Tea to get so agitated "Oh and he was wearing a tuxedo"

"So Alex brought me back here?" asked Tea with a surprised look on her face and a tone of relief in her voice "I was worried there for a moment"

"So he was your friend after all?" said Mrs. Dominguez who also felt a bit of relief now that she had spoken to Tea "When he told me his name was Alister I wasn't sure if he was the right person"

"_Alister?"_ thought Tea when she suddenly remembered that she had just heard that name in her dream _"Okay this is a little weird"_

Tea began to think for a few moments about what she had just heard. The description Mrs. Dominguez gave of the young man who brought her back, matched Alex perfectly. She figured that maybe Mrs. Dominguez had cornered Alex and began to interrogate him like she tended to do with strangers. If there was one thing Mrs. Dominguez didn't like, it was strangers lurking around the building. So naturally poor Alex probably freaked out and gave her a fake name in hopes of getting her to go away. She then thanked Mrs. Dominguez, closed the front door, and began to head towards her bedroom. Suddenly she heard her cellphone ringing so she quickly ran to look for it. When she found it she looked at the screen and smiled when she realized who was calling.

"Hey Tea..." groaned Alex who sounded like someone with a bad hangover or something "Listen I wanted to apologize for last night..."

"There's no need to apologize" said Tea who was happy to know that he had eventually shown up "I already know what happened"

"Huh?" said Alex as he suddenly dropped the pack of ice he had been holding up against his head "How do you know that I got hurt?"

"You got hurt?" asked Tea who was now confused since she didn't know what he was talking about "What are you talking about?"

Alex then explained to her that he had been on his way to pick her up but he wasn't able to make it. The last thing he remembered was leaving his house and heading towards the car but that was it. Everything after that was a complete mystery since he had no idea what could have happened to him. He then explained that his father found him unconscious on the driveway at about midnight. Dr. DeWinters always worked very late and would usually arrive home right about midnight. Alex had a huge bruise on the left side of his forehead so only thing his father could assume was that he had tripped and fallen. Luckily it was nothing serious so Alex would be alright within a few hours. As soon as Alex woke up though the first thing he remembered was that he was supposed to pick up Tea. He knew she probably thought he'd stood her up so he expected her to be angry. Much to his surprise she wasn't angry at all.

"So you're not mad at me?" said Alex as he once again placed the pack of ice against his head and smiled "Phew...you just took a huge load off my mind"

"Alex there's no way I could ever be mad at you" said Tea who now had a million thoughts racing through her head "Well I'll leave you so you can rest okay? Hope you feel better"

Now that she had spoken to Alex and found out that he wasn't the person Mrs. Dominguez saw, she felt fear unlike any other. Not only had a complete stranger found her somewhere, but he had actually brought her back home. She began to think about the previous night and everything that had happened. Suddenly she remembered being out on the street and feeling someone put their hand on the shoulder. After that she recalled feeling strange and suddenly losing consciousness. Could this person be the same man who had brought her back home? Had he done something to make her lose consciousness? Tea also recalled the dream she had just had and a chill went up her spine. Not only did the man in the dream match the description Mrs. Dominguez gave of him but he also had the same name.

"Who are you?" said Tea as she wrapped her arms around herself and looked around the room "Who are you Alister?"

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thanks for all of the reviews guys! Ahh sorry this chapter should have gone up with the others but it wasn't ready. Oh and Cerulean San...I want to answer your question but if I'm pretty bad at answering this sort of thing. I'm afraid I might give too much away so for now I have to keep mum on the subject. Although you were right about the second pairing :). Anyways thanks once again to everyone who reviewed! Hugs and kisses people:D


	9. Enter The Prince

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh,any of the characters(except the ones I made up) or Ferrari(I wish) so don't sue me:D

**Enter The Prince**

_"Huh?" said Amelda as he opened his eyes and looked around "Where am I?". Amelda looked around and realized he was standing in a dark foggy place. He just stood there for a few seconds until he saw a dim light somewhere in the distance. He slowly began to walk through the dense fog and headed towards the light. After awhile the fog began to thin out and he realized that the light was coming from the lone street lamp standing next to a black metal bench. Miruko was sitting on the metal bench talking to a woman...a woman dressed in black. "No.." said Amelda as he stopped and just stared "Not this again!". Suddenly Miruko smiled, jumped off the bench, and ran towards him. "Big brother!" cried Miruko as he suddenly jumped into his arms "I'm so happy to see you!". "Miruko.." said Amelda as he held the little boy tightly in his arms "I'm happy to see you too". "Hey I want you to meet someone!" said Miruko as he smiled and looked up at his brother "She's really nice!". Miruko then turned around and pointed over to Tea who was now just staring in their direction. "I don't think that's a good idea" said Amelda as he looked at the woman "I don't think I should". "What?" cried Miruko as he looked up at his brother with sad eyes "But I want you to meet her!". "I'm sorry Miruko..." said Amelda who felt pain as he looked at the sadness in Miruko's eyes "But I don't want her to see me". "But she can't see you right now" said Miruko almost immediately "You're standing in the shadows after all silly!". "Still.." said Amelda as he looked at Tea standing up ahead "I don't think it's a good idea". "She's really nice so why don't you want to meet her?" asked Miruko in a very hurt tone of voice "Why?". It was too much for Amelda so he finally nodded his head in agreement. Miruko smiled, jumped down from his arms, and immediately ran to get Tea. Within seconds he had brought her directly in front of him. Tea had a look that could only be described as fear and confusion on her face. That's also probably what she was feeling when suddenly Miruko vanished into the dense fog. Suddenly she looked straight at him and just stared intently. He didn't like the feeling of having people stare at him, but then she spoke. "Alister..." whispered Tea in a nervous tone of voice "You're Alister aren't you?". He hesistently nodded his head but decided it was best to remain silent. Suddenly without any warning she reached out and touched his cheek. His body immediately tensed up since he hadn't expected her to do this. She continued to caress his cheek very gently though so he began to relax a bit. "Who are you Alister?" suddenly asked Tea as she looked up at him "Who are you really?". He suddenly felt fear...fear that she would discover the truth. Without thinking he immediately turned around and quickly ran back into the darkness._

_"Why is this happening?_" thought Amelda as he sat in the car waiting for Varon to show up _"Why am I still dreaming about her?"_

After finding out that Tea was the woman in his dreams, Amelda wasn't happy. He decided to try and forget all about her, his dreams, and everything else that had happened. Unfortunately he didn't count on Tea continuing to appear in his latest dream. This new dream was very unsettling to him for one reason. She seemed frightened by him yet she wanted to know who he was. Why would she want to know in the first place? It's not like she really knew that he had been there. After all he had outsmarted that nosy woman that cornered him right?

"Why am I wasting my time worrying?" said Amelda to himself as he looked down for a moment "It was just a stupid dream after all"

Suddenly he saw someone with spiky hair out of the corner of his eye. He could only assume it was Varon so he looked up and prepared to tell him that they were late again thanks to him. Suddenly he realized that it wasn't Varon at all. The young man was clad a short black sleeveless shirt, wore black leather pants, and a black leather choker with a buckle on it. He also had wild spiky black hair with reddish-purple ends, and wavy blonde bangs. There was only one person in all of Domino who looked like this...

_"I can't believe that Grandpa let me have the day off" _thought Yugi as he quickly walked down the street as he glanced at his watch "I just hope I'm not too late

In a strange and sudden act of kindness, Mr. Moto decided to give Yugi the day off. After all Yugi was still just a teenager so it was only fair for him to have fun at least one day. Especially since Yugi was there every single day and he never really complained. Yugi was absolutely thrilled and he knew right away who he wanted to go see. Of course he'd have to hurry or he might not get to see her at all.

_"Yugi"_ thought Amelda as he watched Yugi walk at that moment _"Yugi Moto"_

It had been about two years since Amelda had last seen Yugi. The last he had heard of him was right after Yugi was the first place winner at the KC Grand Prix. Even though Amelda didn't know Yugi personally, he did know alot about him. In fact all of the "Swordsmen of Doom" knew alot about Yugi. After all Dartz wanted them to know everything about the Nameless Pharoah's vessel. He knew that Yugi lived at the Turtle Game Shop with his grandfather AND his mother. No one really saw much of Mrs. Moto though. He also knew that his closest friends were Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, and...Tea Gardner. What really surprised him though now that he looked at Yugi was that he had gotten taller.

"_About time he had a growth spurt" _thought Amelda with an amused grin on his face as he continued to stare at Yugi

_"Alister.." whispered Tea as her voice cracked a bit from fear "You're Alister aren't you?". The man silently nodded his head but he remained completely silent. The more she looked at him, the more she realized that there was something familiar about him. Suddenly without even realizing it, Tea reached up and touched his cheek. The sudden caress seemed to have startled the man since he immediately tensed up. As Tea felt his cheek she realized that there was definitely something familiar about this him. It almost felt as if he was someone that she already knew. "Who are you Alister?" asked Tea as she looked up at him "Who are you really?". Suddenly without any warning the man pulled away from her, turned around, and vanished into the darkness._

"_Why is this happening?"_ thought Tea as she walked down the street on her way to class _"Why am I dreaming about him?"_

About a week had passed since Tea first found out about the mysterious man known as Alister. It had been such a bizarre incident that she decided not to tell anyone about it. In fact she decided to try and forget the entire incident and pretend that it never happened. What she didn't count on was her dreams becoming even more mysterious. Tea continued to have the mysterious dream about the woman in black and the young chemist named Odysseus. These dreams had once greatly troubled her, but now she really didn't even give them a second thought. After all they involved people that she didn't know and who probably didn't even exist. This wasn't the case with her latest dream though. Every night for the past week, Tea kept having a recurring dream about Alister. It was a strange dream because even though Tea was always standing in front of him, she couldn't tell who he was. This troubled her greatly since Alister was a real person yet she had no idea who he was. _He's the man of my dreams but not in a good way..._

"_This man could be anybody" _thought Tea as she nervously tugged on a Kuriboh keychain attached to her purse _"But the question is who?"_

"Hey Tea!" suddenly cried Yugi as he suddenly ran up to her "I'm glad I was still able to catch up to you!"

"Yugi what are you doing here at this time?" asked Tea who suddenly forgot what she had been thinking about "Shouldn't you be at the game shop?"

"Well Grandpa let me have the day off" said Yugi who was honestly just happy to be there with her at that moment "So I decided to come see you"

"But I'm on my way to class right now" said Tea as she smiled at him since he she still couldn't believe he was there "So I can't really do anything today"

"I know and was hoping you'd let me walk you to school" said Yugi as he felt his cheeks beginning to burn as he blushed a bit from what he was about to say "You know...just like-"

"Just like old times?" said Tea as she and Yugi finally began to walk down the street together "Yugi you're always so sweet you know?".

Yugi's face immediately turned the color of a tomato, which caused Tea to laugh. Everytime Tea looked at him she would see the shy little boy she befriended as a child. No matter how many years passed, Yugi was always the same person. He was kind, sweet, thoughtful, and a person Tea cared about dearly. She honestly couldn't imagine her life without Yugi and he felt the same about Tea. Both hoped that no matter what happened, the other would always be around. Finally Yugi's face went back to it's normal color and they both just laughed. They both continued talking and laughing as they walked down the street. They passed by a lone black SUV but neither one noticed the driver.

"He likes her" said Amelda as he looked back at them as they finally reached the end of the street "Well...I guess that makes him the only one"

Amelda had always been an extremely observant person. He could always seem to notice things that other people couldn't. Then again in this case it didn't really take a genius to figure out that Yugi liked Tea. The way he blushed around her was the number one sign. The way he spoke to her and even the way he laughed revealed the way he felt. He had probably felt that way about her for a pretty long time from the looks of it. In fact it seemed that over the years the feelings of friendship Yugi had for her had grown into something bigger: It had grown into love.

"So he likes her" said Amelda as he watched Yugi and Tea as they quickly crossed the street and reached the other side "Hmm..but does she feel the same?"

At first Amelda would have figured that Tea also liked Yugi. After all they had been friends for a long time and been through so much together. Her behavior around Yugi made him wonder though. The way she interacted with Yugi was very similar to the way she had interacted with Varon and even her little richboy friend. She would always talk, laugh, and smile in almost the same way. Most people wouldn't have given it a second thought, but Amelda wasn't like most people. This girl's behavior honestly made him wonder. She seemed to act almost the exact same way no matter who she was speaking to. So even if she really did like Yugi, there was no wasn't any real way to tell. _Hmm now I'm really curious..._

"Wait why the Hell do I even care?" muttered Amelda as he frowned since he honestly felt disgusted with himself at that moment "So what if she likes him?"

"What are you talkin about mate?" asked Varon as he suddenly opened the car door and got into the passenger seat "Who likes who?"

"Nothing" said Amelda as he mentally scolded himself for allowing the Aussie to hear him "It's nothing important"

"Nothing important?" said Varon who could tell that Amelda was trying to hide something "Anytime you're muttering to yourself it's usually something important"

"Well it's not important!" snapped Amelda as he started the car and put on his sunglasses "What's important right now is getting to the work!"

"Sorry" said Varon as he rolled his eyes at Amelda and then grinned like crazy "I didn't know it was that time of the month sheila"

Amelda didn't respond as he slowly pulled the car out onto the street. Suddenly he hit the gas and the car raced down the street at full speed. The grin on Varon's face was soon replaced with a look of fear and pain. Usually Amelda would have replied with Varon's insults with one of his own. Today he decided to respond by giving Varon the scare of his life along with whiplash. _He'll think twice before calling me a woman..._

_"Pathetic fool..." _thought a lone woman dressed all in black as she gazed out the window at all of the buildings below _"You thought so were so much smarter than me didn't you?"_

The woman then turned around, walked over to her desk, and took a seat. She then opened up a drawer, took out an envelope, and pulled out the papers inside. The papers contained the names of many people along with their picture and profile. She sorted through them until she finally found the one she wanted. The paper had the picture and profile of a young man on it. He was a very handsome young man with brown hair and blue eyes who was probably in his late twenties. The moment she saw the picture though, her green eyes gleamed and her red lips curled into a sadistic smile. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the intercom buzzed. She then quickly put the picture down since she was awaiting some important news.

"Did the call I was waiting for come in yet?" said the woman as she pressed the button on the intercom to see what her secretary had news "Did they do as I asked?

"Yes Madame" said the secretary in a cold monotone voice as she spoke to her boss "They did the same thing they do every first of the month"

"Excellent" said the woman as her red lips curled into a very pleased smile "Tell them that I'm very pleased with their consistency even after all these years"

The woman then picked up the picture she had been looking at once again. The young man in the picture was young, handsome, and almost naive looking. He was smiling and he had a look in his eyes that always amused her. The look he had was a look of hope. Hope for a happy and better life as well as hope for the future. The woman suddenly burst into laughter as she continued looking at the picture. _Hope no longer applies to you..._

"You should never anger me" said the woman as she finally calmed down after laughing like crazy "But you chose to learn that the hard way didn't you?"

She glanced at the paper one more time before putting it and the other papers back in the envelope. She then carefully closed the envelope and returned it to the same drawer. She then turned her chair around and glanced out the window. Her eyes scanned the city for a moment and finally came to rest on the Azure Inc builing. She looked at it for a few seconds while smirking. Finally she turned around and faced her desk since she did have a corporation to run after all.

**Several Hours Later**

"What's wrong Alex?" said Tea as she and Alex left their very last class of the day "Is your head still hurting from that fall?"

Usually Alex was a very happy person and he spent the majority of the time smiling. Then again he didn't seem to happy recently since he kept getting alot of headaches after his accident. Then again once they went away he was once again happy and cheerful. Today that wasn't the case though since he seemed miserable the entire day and didn't even smile once. Something was definitely wrong...

"No it's just that I have to do this project for chemistry" said Alex miserably as he looked down at the ground "I have to go meet my lab partner right now"

"So is that why you're so upset?" said Tea as she opened up the door and they both began to head down the stairs "It can't be that bad right?"

"My lab partner is the problem" said Alex as he suddenly frowned which was something Tea had never seen him do before "He's a real jerk and I can't stand him!"

_"Alex is actually frowning?"_ thought Tea as she looked at Alex who was looking more miserable than ever _"This guy must be really bad"_

Now that Tea looked at the young man as he frowned, she noticed something. The way he frowning made him look completely different. In fact he didn't even really look like himself. Tea realized that he reminded her of someone...but the question was who? Suddenly she realized that Alex was still talking but she hadn't heard a single word since she had been spacing out.

"Uh so what's wrong with him?" said Tea as she tried to pretend that she had heard every single word "Why do you hate him so much?"

"Well for one thing he never helps out" said Alex who was too unhappy to notice what was going on around them "But there's other reasons too"

They both found a bench, sat down, and Alex began to tell her the whole story. Alex and his lab partner went to the same middle school as well as the same high school. The young man was the worst sort of person imaginable. He was a rich spoiled mama's boy who was used to getting absolutely everything he wanted. He was always treated like a prince though and he never really had to lift a finger at all. Why? Because he was always able to con others into doing his work for him. After all he needed as much free time as possible to flirt with girls and hit nightclubs. Now poor Alex was being forced to work with this parasitic prince.

"I can't believe that such a person exists" said Tea as she shook her head in complete disbelief "What's this guy's name anyways?"

"Yeah he's a real loser" said Alex as he suddenly burst out laughing and smiled for the first time of the day "Oh his name's-"

Suddenly out the blue, a young man roughly plopped down on the bench right between Tea and Alex. In the process he ended up knocking Alex backwards and right off the bench. The young man then looked at Tea for a moment and gave her an all too perfect smile. He was an extremely handsome young man with short spiky black hair and incredible green eyes. He was wearing a really expensive looking black shirt along with some jeans and very expensive looking shoes. Almost immediately Tea realized exactly who this was.

"Where's your manners Alex?" said the young man as he suddenly looked back at Alex and then back at Tea "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Tea..." muttered Alex as he pulled himself back onto the bench and resisted the urge to smack him in the head "This is Stan..."

"Tea huh?" said Stan as he once again flashed his all too perfect smile as he suddenly took her hand "The pleasure is all mine"

Alex hadn't been exaggerating at all. This guy Stan was just as bad or possibly even worse than he had made him seen. He was so full of himself that it was absolutely ridiculous. She then pulled her hand away from him and quickly stood up. There was only so much she could take of guys who thought they were God's gift to women.

"Uh yeah it was nice meeting you" said Tea as she began to walk away as quickly as possible "But I've got to meet someone else right now! See you Alex!".

"Hey I gotta run" suddenly said Stan as he quickly stood up before looking down at Alex "I'm sure you'll do a good job on the project brainiac"

"What?" shouted Alex who suddenly jumped up because he couldn't believe what he was hearing "I'm not going to do the project all by my-"

Alex wasn't even able to complete his sentence since Stan took off running. Alex was a very smart young man and Stan knew this very well. In fact Alex was skipped ahead a year in high school which is why they ended up in the same class in the first place. Alex just growled, sat back down on the bench, and threw his chemistry book on the floor. It was days like these that made Alex realize that being so smart had it's disadvantages.

"Hey it's good ta see ya during da week Yuge!" said Joey in between bites of a gigantic slice of pizza "I wish yer Grandpa would give ya more days off!"

"I do too" said Yugi was still attempting to figure out how to even start eating his slice of pizza "But I don't think it'll happen anytime soon"

"For once Joey's right" said Tristan also in between bites of a slice of pizza "I think the only time we see you now is on Saturday night"

After walking Tea all the way to the university, Yugi decided to go look for Joey and Tristan. The community college wasn't too far from the university so he quickly headed over there. He didn't have to go far though since he found Tristan riding his motorcycle about a block away from the university. Apparently all of the professors were at a meeting so everyone at the college got the day off. So after a quick call to Joey's house, they had all spent the entire day together. They went to the movies, hit the arcade, and now thanks to Joey's appetite they were eating lunch for the third time that day. This day was all about being carefree and having as much fun as possible. It was exactly the kind of day that Yugi had been in need of. Although there was one thing that would have made it even better...

_"This has been a really great day" _thought Yugi as he finally took a small bite of his slice of pizza _"But if Tea were here right now then it would be perfect"_

"Hey why don't we go look for Tea after dis?" suddenly said Joey with his mouth full of pizza "Den we can go ta another movie or somethin!"

"You think she'll wanna come?" said Tristan as he reached over and begin to sprinkle his pizza with parmesan cheese "After all you know how she is on school days"

"It's a good idea Joey...but Tristan's right" said Yugi who honestly wanted to slap himself for what he was about to say "Tea always prefers to study on school days"

"We'll catch her on Saturday den" said Joey as he looked down and realized that he was all out of pizza "Uh...ya need any help with dat pizza Yuge?"

Yugi just nodded and pushed the slice of pizza towards Joey since there was no way he was going to finish it. After all he was still pretty stuffed from all the food they'd eaten earlier. Joey just smiled, picked up the slice, and devoured it within seconds. If there was one thing that made Joey truly happy then it had to be pizza.

"I still can't believe Raph gave us the rest of the day off" said Varon as he emerged from his bedroom wearing a red jacket, black pants, and his old goggles "There's nothing like half a day right mate?"

Sometime during the early afternoon Raphael recieved a call from Dr. DeWinters. Up til that point Mr. Anderson still hadn't woken up despite the doctor's earlier predictions. Now after running several extensive tests, Dr. DeWinters had discovered something. It was something very important but he didn't want to tell Raphael over the phone. He preferred to tell him in person. Raphael was very concerned so naturally he decided to head out to see Dr. DeWinters right away. Normally he would have just left Amelda in charge, but then he thought about it. Amelda and Varon were his two closest friends, good assistants, and they were always there no matter what. He then decided to give them the rest of the day off to do whatever they wanted. Varon was so excited when they got home that he immediately changed clothes, grabbed the keys to his motorcycle, and decided to go for a ride. Amelda on the other hand simply grabbed a book, and plopped down on the couch.

"Yeah yeah..." said Amelda who seemed to be paying more attention to his book than to Varon "That's nice..."

"Well I'm goin out for a ride" said Varon as he pulled the keys to his motorcycle out of his jacket "I'll be back in awhile sheila"

Varon then headed out the front door and about a minute later the sound of a motorcycle speeding down the street was heard. Amelda quickly looked up, tossed the book aside, and finally went into his bedroom. He quickly took off his suit and tie and put on a black t-shirt and some jeans. He was just going to go hang out in the living room now that he had the place to himself, but then he glanced out the window. The park across the street was pretty quiet at that moment and it seemed to call to him. After all it was the one place where he would go for a walk whenever he wanted to spend some time alone. It was still pretty early and the day was kind of sunny so why not?

"_Should I get started on my sociology paper first?"_ thought Tea as she crossed the street leading up to Apricot Street "_Or should I practice the dance routine Miss Esmeralda taught us today?"_

Tea always went straight home after leaving from the university. She always liked to do her homework as quickly as possible so she could have more time to practice dancing. She had nearly made it to the other side of the street when she heard a car approaching. After nearly being run over twice by the same car, she was now more alert whenever she heard a car approaching. She quickly turned around and when she did she found herself staring at a brand new shiny black Ferrari. This car was obviously very expensive so maybe the person driving it was none other than Kaiba. He did have a pretty huge collection of cars and motorcycles after all. Unfortunately the windows were very heavily tinted so she wasn't really able to see who was the driver was . The car suddenly pulled over very close to Tea, stopped, and the driver suddenly got out.

"Hey there Tea" said Stan with a smile as he stepped onto the sidewalk and began to approach her "Why's a beautiful girl like you walking home?"

"_Great...now I actually wish it had been Kaiba_" thought Tea who couldn't believe she had once again run into this guy "There's nothing wrong with walking"

"Well I'm on my way home" said Stan as he looked at Tea since he honestly couldn't believe how beautiful she was "But I can give you a ride if you want"

"No thanks" said Tea as she quickly turned around since she really didn't want to deal with him "I'm almost home anyways"

Tea never would have suspected that Stan had been following her the entire time. He was taken by her beauty the moment he first saw her. Now that Stan had actually spoken to her he was truly intrigued by her. Never in his entire life had he run into a girl who seem so unimpressed by him and his money. Usually he had girls throwing themselves at him and begging him for a ride. Now it seemed that he had found a girl who was quite a challenge and he was never one to turn down a challenge.

"Are you sure?" said Stan who couldn't believe that she was still turning down his offer "It's really no big deal"

"No it's okay" said Tea as she looked down at her watch since all she wanted was to get to her apartment _"Who does guy think he is?"_

Tea began to walk away very quickly but Stan decided to follow her. Tea sensed this so she picked immediately picked up her pace. She was in such a hurry to get away though that she accidently stumbled and nearly fell. Luckily someone was walking by at that moment so she managed to grab on to them. She was a bit dazed for a few seconds so she just clung to the person's midriff until she could gather her thoughts. Finally she decided to look up and see just who she was holding onto.

"What the-" said Tea as she quickly looked up and her eyes widened in shock when she realized who it was _"Oh my God!"_

Once again Tea had somehow managed to plow into a redhead but not just any redhead. Judging by the look on Amelda's face he obviously wasn't too pleased. He looked absolutely pissed off and about ready to kill anyone that crossed his path. She then realized that she was still clinging to him so she tried to pull herself away from him. Suddenly he did something completely unexpected. Rather than letting her pull herself away from him, he actually brought down his arm and pulled her closer.

"She doesn't want to be bothered" hissed Amelda in his most dangerous tone of voice as he gave Stan the coldest glare possible "So get over it and get the Hell out of here!"

"Huh?" said Tea who didn't understand why this guy was actually helping her "Why are you doing this?"

Amelda had just left his building and was beginning to walk down the pathway to the sidewalk when Stan showed up. The way Stan shamelessly kept trying to flaunt his stupid car was absolutely disgusting. He was definitely the type of fool who believed that he could buy any girl he wanted. This was one guy that Tea definitely wasn't interested in since she tried to just walk away. This guy obviously wasn't used to getting turned down so he actually had to nerve to try and follow her. The moment he did this though, Amelda was immediately filled with rage. He felt rage because this jerk was going to try and harass Tea until she gave in. He knew he couldn't just stand there and watch...he had to do something about it.

"No one talks to me like that" said Stan as he narrowed his green eyes and returned the glare "Do you even realize who I am?"

"Yeah I do" said Amelda as he frowned and continued to hold onto Tea as protectively as possible "You're a rich jerk who thinks he can buy any woman he wants"

Stan was about to open his mouth to shout at Amelda, but then his cellphone started to ring. He then casually reached in his pocket, pulled out his cellphone, and looked at the screen. He was probably the only person in all of Domino who would stop in the middle of an argument just to see who was calling. He then put the cellphone back in his pocket and looked back up...but there was nobody there. In the few seconds that it had taken Stan to check his phone, Tea and Amelda had vanished. Stan just stood there looking around for a few seconds before cursing, getting back in his car, and driving off. After all he knew he that Tea went to the same school so he'd be able to find her again.

"Phew.." sighed Tea with relief as she peered out from behind the tree she was hiding behind and saw the Ferrari drive off "He finally went away"

"Hmph" said Amelda flatly as he stepped out from behind the tree where he had been hiding as well "About time"

It had taken Stan only a few seconds to check his phone, but a few seconds was all Amelda needed. He quickly and silently picked Tea up in his arms and ran across the street to the park. After all those platforms she was wearing would make way make too much noise. Tea was pretty amazed at the speed with which he moved despite the fact that he was carrying her. He then stopped behind a tree, put her down, and they both silently waited behind it. At this point Stan just stood there looking confused before finally deciding to leave. Now that he was gone though she finally had time to process everything that had just happened. It was definitely the weirdest thing that had happened all day.

"Thank you so much" said Tea as she turned around, looked up at Amelda and smiled "I really appreciate you helping me out right now"

"Hmmm" said Amelda in an expressionless tone of voice as he just turned around and began to walk off "Whatever..."

Tea couldn't believe Amelda's attitude at all. He was pretty rude to her the first time she ever really spoke to him, yet he actually helped her this day. Of course she probably could have handled Stan herself. It was nothing that a swift kick to the crotch wouldn't fix. Either way though she was honestly grateful that he had helped her. Even if he was being a jerk once again. She was still looking at him when she suddenly realized something.

_"Wait...this is who Alex reminded me of when he frowned!"_ thought Tea as she recalled what she had seen earlier _"He reminded me of Amelda!"_

She then looked down at her watch and realized that she wasting valuable time. She then quickly headed to the side sidewalk, looked both ways, and ran across to the other side. That sociology paper wasn't going to write itself after all. What she never realized was that Amelda had quickly gone back, hid behind the same tree, and was now watching her. She and Miruko were the only two people he ever really seemed to dream about. Now he realized that he hadn't hesitated in protecting her from that creep. Then again he had promised Miruko he would protect her even if it was only in a dream. So he had merely done it to keep his promise to Miruko right? But then why did he feel so bothered by the thought of any guy, even Yugi, actually liking her?

_"No this doesn't make any sense!"_ thought Amelda as he frowned and kicked the tree in frustration _"Dammit it can't make sense!"_

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for all of the reviews guys! Oh and I also want to clear something up. Tea and Alex are just friends so there's no romance between them. I don't really tend to put OCs with main characters(unless I'm writing humor). Well once again thanks for everything so hugs and kisses people:D


	10. Venom

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Venom**

_"I never thought I'd ever actually have to go there" _thought Raphael as he drove and looked at the tall black obelisk in the distance _"But now I have no choice"_

Raphael had just left the Domino Hospital and was heading to the Obsidian Inc building. The reason for this was because of what Dr. DeWinters had told him. When Raphael arrived at the hospital, the doctor took him to his office. Dr. DeWinters had been truly baffled at the fact that Mr. Anderson still remained unconscious. He finally decided that he should conduct a blood test to make sure everything was normal. When he got the results back he discovered something so shocking that he called Raphael right away.

"Mr. Girard..." said Dr. DeWinters rather hesitently since he honestly didn't know how to best explain it "I discovered a large amount of an unknown substance in Mr. Anderson's blood stream"

"What?" said Raphael as his blue eyes snapped open in disbelief at what he was hearing "An unknown substance?"

The doctor then explained that even after more analysis, the lab still wasn't able to identify it. Since there was no way to identify it then there was no way to find a way to counteract it. Dr. DeWinters had encountered one other patient though who had the exact same substance in his bloodstram. He too remained unconscious for a long period of time before mysteriously dying. Unfortunately that same patient also happened to be the one that was attacked by The Society. The moment Dr. DeWinters told him this, Raphael immediately got up and left the room. There was now no doubt about it...Mr. Anderson was a victim of The Society. The question was why? Why would they target him and attack him so brutally? Suddenly Raphael remembered about the e-mail Mr. Anderson had sent him right before the attack. The e-mail contained very important information about Obsidian Inc's CEO. Could it be possible that she had something to do with it? There was only one way to find out. After awhile Raphael finally arrived at Obsidian Inc headquarters and he made his way into the main lobby. A lone woman clad all in black was sitting at the front desk. She was an extremely beautiful woman with long black hair and brown eyes.

"Welcome to Obsidian Inc" said the woman in a cold and monotone voice as Raphael approached her "How may I direct you?"

"I want to see the CEO" said Raphael as he looked down at the woman whose nametag identified her as "Azalea" "I want to see her right now"

"Do you have an appointment?" said Azalea whose voice remained cold and almost mechanical "And may I have your name please?"

"My name is Raphael Girard" said Raphael as he noticed that this woman's eyes were just as cold and lifeless as her voice "But I don't have an appointment"

"Then you can't see the CEO" stated Azalea in her unchanging tone of voice "Now please leave before I have you escorted off the premises"

**Ring Ring Ring**

At that moment the phone rang so Azalea reached over and picked it up. She just listened intently to the person on the other end and never said anything. Her boss was very well aware that Raphael was in the building and there was no way she'd give up the chance to meet him. In fact she decided to send somebody down to personally escort Raphael up to her office. After a few seconds Azalea finally said "Yes Madame" before hanging up the phone.

"Please have a seat Mr. Girard" said Azalea as she looked up at the blonde man who towered above her "The CEO will see you after all"

_"Mokuba..."_ thought Seto as he looked out the window of his office and over at the neighboring Azure Inc building _"What's happening to you?"_

Seto maintained his usual cold and expressionless fascade, but now he was breaking apart on the inside. Ever since the night that he came home and found that Mokuba had brought Serenity to the mansion, nothing had been the same. The sweet loving little brother that Seto once knew had become cold and extremely rebellious. Things had gotten even worse after Seto grounded Mokuba for sneaking off to Constantina's party. Seto loved Mokuba but there was no way he was going to tolerate such blatant disregard for his authority. The moment Seto did this though, it seemed that all Hell broke loose. Mokuba and Seto then got into the worst argument ever and many painful things were said. Mokuba accused Seto of not respecting his privacy and treating him like a child. Seto rebuffed by saying that the only reason he did this was to protect him. Mokuba then accused Seto of make his life Hell because he just couldn't accept the fact that he liked Serenity. Seto denied it of course but he knew that it was partially true. What followed though was something that Seto hadn't expected at all. Nothing anybody had ever said to Seto had hurt him as much as what Mokuba said to him.

_"I hate you Seto!" _echoed Mokuba's words in Seto's memory as clearly as when Mokuba first uttered them _"I hate you and I don't want you in my life!"_

"Mokuba..." said Seto softly as he then reached up and opened up the duel monster card locket he wore to reveal a picture of Mokuba "Without you I'd be just like Amelda"

It had been years since Seto had seen Amelda, but he had never forgotten him. The redhead had been so driven by the need to avenge the death of his little brother that he went to whatever lengths necessary. He was determined to get Seto's soul one way or the other and would let no one get in his way. Ironically in the end it was Amelda who his soul. Even though Seto never saw him again, he realized something about him. Deep down inside Amelda was a very sad and extremely lonely person. It was the loss of his little brother's love and companionship that had left him this way. So in a way Amelda represented what Seto's life would be like without Mokuba.

**Knock Knock Knock**

"What is it?" snapped Seto who was honestly not in a good mood that moment "I'm busy!"

"But I really need to talk to you" suddenly said a soft and sort of familiar female voice from the other side of the door "Please? It'll only take a moment"

"_Can it be her?" _thought Seto as he quickly went over to the door to make sure that he wasn't hearing things "_No...what would she be doing here?"_

Seto immediately opened the door and when he looked down he found Serenity standing there. She was wearing her school uniform which meant she had probably come straight from class. She looked up at him rather nervously and her cheeks begin to turn red. Seto was slightly amused by this, although he really didn't understand what she was doing there. Serenity got so nervous that she forgot what she had to say, so Seto decided to get things going.

"What are you doing here Wheeler?" said Seto as he looked down at the pretty girl "What do you want?"

"I-I came here to apologize Kaiba" said Serenity as she tried her best to remain calm in the prescence of the handsome CEO "It's my fault that you and Mokuba are fighting"

"And just what makes you think we're fighting?" said Seto as he raised an eyebrow since he couldn't believe what she'd just said "Besides that's not really any of your business is it?"

"I know it's not my business" said Serenity hesitently as she felt as if though Seto's cold blue eyes were staring right through her "But...it's just that Mokuba's hasn't been himself since you grounded him"

"That's no one's fault but his own for sneaking out to a party" said Seto as he gazed down at the pretty auburn haired girl "It has nothing to do with you"

"It is my fault...since I also went to that party" said Serenity as she momentarily lowered her gaze and stared at the ground "If I hadn't gone then maybe Mokuba wouldn't have gone and you two wouldn't be fighting"

Serenity then explained that whenever she looked over at Mokuba during health class she realized that he seemed sad. When she asked him about it he claimed that he wasn't sad, he was mad. It was then told her about the fight he had with Seto and everything he'd said to him. Serenity knew that Mokuba was trying to act like a tough guy, but deep down inside he was sad.Serenity couldn't bear the idea of the two brothers drifting apart since they only had each other. She felt she had to tell Seto the truth and hopefully that would help improve matters between the brothers.

"Wheeler the only person you should worry about is that mutt you call a brother" said Seto as he narrowed his cold blue eyes and looked straight into Serenity's eyes "Now do me a favor and leave"

"Please think about what I said Kaiba" said Serenity who was honestly surprised that Seto had even listened to her "Don't let yourselves drift apart"

Serenity then turned around, headed towards the elevator, and got inside. Now that she had spoken to Seto she realized that despite his icy exterior, he also seemed sad. Hopefully everything would work out and the brothers could sort out their differences. Seto stood in the doorway to his office staring at the elevator even after Serenity had left. He honestly couldn't believe that Serenity would be so concerned about his relationship with Mokuba. Why would she care so much about their happiness? Was she crazy? Or did she genuinely care about their well being? If she did then she was truly unlike any other person he had ever encountered. As he walked back into his office, he realized something. It was something that he never thought he'd ever think about any girl...especially the mutt's sister. Serenity not only had the face on an angel, but she had the heart of one too.

"Right this way please" said a red haired, blue eyed woman in a monotone voice as she approached Raphael "Madame is expecting you"

This woman had been sent down to retrieve Raphael, so she immediately took him to the elevator. As they headed up to the top floor, Raphael noted that the woman's nametag identified her as "Gardenia". Gardenia was also clad completely in black, had waistlength hair, and was extremely beautiful just like Azalea. Unfortunately like Azalea, she had eyes as cold and lifeless as her voice. Finally the elevator stopped and the doors opened up to reveal the top floor. There were two women dressed in black sitting at two desks right as they exited the elevator. One was a woman with long dark brown hair, grey eyes, and her nametag identified her as "Belladonna". The other woman had long black hair, pale violet eyes, and her nametag identified her as "Ivy". Gardenia led him past these two women though and took him to towards a gigantic black door at the end of the room. As they approached it Raphael noticed that it had a plaque had the words "V. Cervantes CEO" on it. There was also a desk right next to the door with another woman sitting behind it. This woman had blonde hair, cold blue eyes, and she too wore a black. This woman's nametag identified her as "Nightshade".

"Right this way Mr. Girard" said the woman in the same monotone voice as she stood up and walked towards the door "Madame's office is right through this door"

The woman immediately opened the door and the moment she did Raphael was in for yet another surprise. Raphael always felt his office was too big, but it was nothing compared to this office. The office was gigantic and it completely took up what was left of the top floor. It also had windows all around that offered a bird's eye view of the city. There was a lone desk and a giant,almost throne like, leather desk chair behind it. Raphael didn't stop walking until he was directly in front of the desk. The desk was was pretty bare since it only had a computer, a telephone, an intercom, and a figurine depicting Obsidian Inc's corporate logo. The figurine was shaped like a cobra with it's head raised up. The unusual thing was that this particular cobra happened to have a pair of wings on it's back. The wings were nice, soft, and feathery looking. Raphael always thought it was the strangest thing he'd ever seen. He would also sometimes wonder why anyone would pick such a strange logo.

"That's Quetzalcoatl" said a female voice directly behind Raphael "Also known as 'The feathered serpent'"

Raphael immediately turned around and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He knew he was face to face with Obsidian's CEO, but he couldn't believe what she looked like. For a moment he could have sworn that this woman was Constantina. They were both about the same height, had the same hairstyle, wore black clothes, and even looked alike. Upon closer inspection though, this woman had green eyes while Constantina's were brown. Still the resemblance was nearly perfect. The woman then made her way around her desk and gracefully sat down in her chair.

"So you're the new CEO of Azure Inc?" said the woman as her red lips curled into an amused smile "Hmph...you're not quite what I expected"

"I'm not here to make a social call" said Raphael as he narrowed his blue eyes and looked straight down at her "I know that you're responsible for what happened to one of my lawyers"

"What?" suddenly said the woman as she quickly stood up and glared at Raphael "What on Earth are you talking about?"

This woman definitely looked like Constantina but she was nothing like her. This woman had a glare so cold, so icy, and so malevolent that even Medusa would flinch. Even though Raphael towered over her, it was obvious that she wasn't intimidated. In fact the way she kept looking at him it was almost as if though she expected him to be intimidated. Of course he wasn't going to let himself be intimidated by her.

"You know very well what I'm talking about" said Raphael as he looked down at this woman as defiantly as possible"You hired some members of The Society to attack my lawyer after he told me your name"

"That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard!" hissed the woman who looked like she was about to try and slap Raphael "I have no reason to hide my name!"

"Then how come nobody really knows your name?" said Raphael as he folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her "You've hidden it for years"

"Only to protect my privacy!" said the woman as she walked out from behind her desk and stood directly in front of Raphael once again "I'm entitled to a private life too you know"

"Is that so Madame Cervantes?" said Raphael as he looked straight at her to see if she would flinch "If you have no reason to hide your name then would you mind telling me what it is?"

"Valeriana Cervantes" said the woman in a defiant tone of voice as she placed her hands on her hips "Are you satisfied now Mr. Girard? Or is there anything else you'd like to accuse me of?"

Raphael knew that there was something very strange about this woman. In fact there was something very strange about her entire company. Unfortunately now that this woman had willingly revealed her name, he had nothing to work with. It was true that the timing of the attack and the circumstances made Madame Cervantes the prime suspect. Then again it could all simply be a matter unfortunate timing and she truly was innocent. After all Mr. Anderson was a lawyer and he had made many enemies throughtout his entire career. Raphael then realized that he had acted out of the heat of moment when he should have thought thing through first. He then simply excused himself, headed towards the elevator, and left the building. After Raphael was gone, Madame Cervantes simply went back to her desk, sat down, and called in her secretary.

"You know...I think I should thank dear Raphael for his visit today" said Madame Cervantes as her red lips curled up into a sadistic smile as she looked at Nightshade "In fact I want to send him a lovely bouquet of flowers"

"Yes Madame" said Nightshade in her usual monotone voice as she bowed her head slightly "He'll have them by tonight"

Madame Cervantes then simply smiled, turned her chair around, and decided to just enjoy the view. This was a moment she had to truly savor...so her paperwork could wait for a few minutes.

_"I can't believe Kaiba actually listened to everything I said" _thought Serenity as she walked down the street as she headed back home _"I was so sure he'd kick me out right away"_

She had truly meant everything she said to Seto and hoped that the brothers would work things out. Serenity then sighed happily since she was feeling kind of euphoric after seeing the handsome CEO. After all those icy cold blue eyes of his just seemed to make her melt. She was so lost in thought that she completely failed to notice someone sneaking up behind her. The young man smirked and his green eyes just examined her as he got closer. Serenity was a lovely young woman and there was no mistaking this. When Serenity reached the edge of the sidewalk, she suddenly felt someone cover her eyes.

"Guess who?" said the young man with a smirk as he hoped that she recognized his voice "Or do you need a clue?"

"Duke?" asked Serenity as she quickly pulled his hands away from her eyes and spun around to look at him "Duke it is you!"

Duke Devlin looked almost exactly the same as the last time Serenity had seen him. He still had a long black ponytail, he still wore black eyeliner, and he still had a crush on her. The only thing Duke seemed to be missing was his dice earring and his fangirls. Then again he didn't really want his fangirls around when he was trying to talk to Serenity.

"Long time no see" said Duke who was alot more smooth and subtle around Serenity than lovesick Tristan "So how've you been?"

"I've been really good" said Serenity who always thought Duke, like Tristan, was a really nice guy "And you? How's your store?"

"I've been good" said Duke who couldn't believe just how much she had changed since the last time he saw her "And business is going really great"

Serenity was only fourteen years old the last time Duke saw her. Now Serenity was sixteen and she had grown up quite a bit. She was taller and she was far more beautiful that Duke ever could have imagined. Duke knew that Tristan had a huge crush on Serenity, but he figured he had the upper hand. After all Tristan was a total klutz and didn't really know how to talk to women. He was also too much like Joey and who would want to date a guy almost like their brother? At that moment a yellow motorcycle stopped next to them while waiting for the light to turn green. They were both so busy talking to notice it though. This wasn't the case with the young man on the motorcycle though since he noticed them right away.

_"It's her!"_ thought Varon as he looked over and noticed Serenity and Duke standing on the sidewalk _"And she's with that bloke I once dueled"_

Varon suddenly gave thanks that Duke wasn't facing him or else he'd recognize him right away. He wasn't worried about Serenity though since he figured that she wouldn't even remember who he was. Besides it didn't matter though since Mai was in his life once again. But if this was the case then why did he feel so conflicted as he looked over at Serenity? She was definitely a very beautiful girl, but so were many others. But why did he feel so upset when he remembered the night at the party? Was it because she probably would have turned him down? After all what would she want with a poor scrub like him? The light finally turned green and he quickly sped off and decided to just go home.

_"Mai's the only woman I should care about" _thought Varon with a determined look on his face as he raced down the street _"I know I'll be able to win her over this time"_

"Well it was good to see you Duke" said Serenity as she stepped off the sidewalk and began to cross the street "I'll see you later!"

Duke just smiled as he saw Serenity walk off and he headed off in another direction. He was happy now that he had found her and definitely planned to try and see her more often. What Duke didn't know suspect was that Serenity didn't have any feelings for him or Tristan. She merely saw them as good friends who were almost like big brothers to her. In fact the only guy she really had any feelings for was Seto Kaiba. The only other guy she had ever really felt anything for was that guy she met at the pizza restaurant. She had only seen Valon once but that one time was enough for her to start having feelings for him. Unfortunately she had never really run into him again, although she secretly hoped she would...

"_I can't believe Tea forgot her backpack"_ thought Alex as he carried Tea's backpack in his hand _"She really must have been in a hurry to get away from Stan"_

After fuming for awhile that Stan had left him to do all the work, Alex noticed something under the bench. He quickly knelt down and realized that it was Tea's backpack. She had taken off so quickly that she had probably forgotten all about it. She didn't really live that far away, so he decided to go and drop it off. On his way there he decided to take a shortcut through the park across the street from where Tea lived. It was a pretty nice park since it had lots of trees, benches, a pond filled with ducks, and lots of room for kids to play. In fact there were some kids nearby playing soccer with a young man with red hair. The kids laughed happily and seemed to be having the time of their lives. The young man also seemed quite happy as well. He was probably one of the kids older brother or something. Alex had never really played soccer so he decided to stop and watch them. It seemed like a pretty fun game but judging by the way the young man played, it obviously required good athletic skills. Unfortunately that was something that just didn't run in Alex's family since both his father and sister were terrible athletes. At that moment the young man kicked the ball very hard and sent it flying. Alex was pretty impressed at just how hard he had kicked it, and that's when it happened...

**POW**

The soccer ball struck Alex in the head and sent him straight to the ground. Unfortunately the ball happened to strike him the exact same spot Arielle had kicked him. Now he lay there completely unconscious and with an even bigger bruise on the side of his head. Amelda realized that something was wrong so he immediately ran over and knelt down next to him.

"This is Tea's little friend" said Amelda as he immediately recognized the young man lying on the ground "The guy that smiles too much"

This was also the first time that Amelda was seeing Alex up close so he was in for quite a surprise. As unusual as it seemed, Alex seemed to resemble him quite a bit. The only difference seemed to be the color and style of his hair and the fact that his eyes probably weren't grey. Other than that the resemblance was pretty amazing. In fact it was kind of creepy since Amelda had never really seen a person who resembled him so much. Actually he had seen one other person who resembled him this much. That person had been his beloved little brother Miruko, but Miruko was gone. At that moment Alex groaned a bit and slowly opened his grey eyes. The moment he did this though, Amelda nearly fell backwards in disbelief. _Varon would have a field day if he ever saw us together..._

"Hey what happened?" groaned Alex as he slowly sat up and rubbed his head "Did I fall down or something?"

"You got hit in the head with a soccer ball" said Amelda as he continued to stare at Alex in disbelief "Sorry about that"

"Oh yeah.." said Alex with a slight smile as he attempted to pull himself up "Now I remember"

"I really am sorry about that" said Amelda as he extended his hand to help him up "I didn't mean to hit you"

"Nah don't worry about it" laughed Alex as he took Amelda's hand and managed to get back on his feet "Besides that was a pretty good kick"

Amelda was honestly pretty surprised that Alex wasn't mad and actually laughed at the situation. Alex was definitely a cheerful person, more cheerful that most people it seemed. He had definitely had a happy childhood as well as a very loving family. Amelda lost both his childhood and his family in a very brutal way. For a few fleeting moments...he actually envied Alex. Suddenly before Amelda realized what was happening, all of the kids ran over and jumped on him. There was so many of them that before long he ended up falling over. Alex could only smile in amusement as Amelda lay there getting the daylights hugged out of him by a swarm of six to seven year olds.

"I never knew you could kick a soccer ball so hard!" said a little blonde haired boy as he clung to Amelda "That's so cool!"

"Yeah that was real cool!" squealed a little brunette girl as she squeezed Amelda's waist "Can you teach us how to kick like that?"

The kids were really fond of Amelda since he was always very kind, very patient, and always willing to play soccer with them. This thrilled them of course since he was a really good soccer player. Amelda was always willing to play with the kids since it brought back happy memories of Miruko. He remembered the way he and Miruko would play soccer together. Both he and Miruko loved the game and they would play every afternoon. Since Miruko was younger, he was always in awe at his big brother's skills. He would always beg Amelda to teach him how to be just as good a player as he was. Amelda was more than happy to teach him and he was very patient with him. These memories always made Amelda happy so they were something that he truly cherished.

"Hey mister are you alright?" asked a little pink haired girl as she looked up at Alex "You have a big bruise on your head"

"Hey that bruise is wicked!" said a black haired boy as he looked up at the bruise in question "I got one just like it when I fell off my skateboard!"

"Yeah I'm okay" smiled Alex as he suddenly looked down and remembered what he was supposed to be doing "Well I gotta go so all of you take care"

Alex then quickly picked up Tea's backpack and continued on his way to her apartment. It was pretty funny since Tea hadn't even realized that she was missing her backpack. She had decided to practice her dance routine first and write the paper afterwards. She felt pretty ridiculous though and they both just laughed about it. Alex didn't think it was funny though when she told him that Stan had followed her. Alex couldn't believe that he had stooped so low as to follow Tea all the way home. He did think it was funny though when she told him that she'd managed to get away. After this Alex left her apartment but he decided not to go through the park this time. After all he didn't want to get end up getting another soccer ball to the head.

"Where'd Amelda go now?" said Varon as he walked down the pathway from the apartment out to the sidewalk "He always runs off like-WTF?"

_"I can't believe that loser ran off in order to follow Tea all the way home" _thought Alex who completely failed to notice the Aussie staring at him with a look of shock on his face _"I'm just glad she got away from him"_

"_So is this the reason Amelda always runs off?" _thought Varon as he stared at Alex as he walked off and continued on his way _"To make clones of himself?"_

**Midnight**

"Who could be responsible for this?" growled Raphael in frustration as he looked at his laptop "Who?"

_"Meow!" _responded Eatos who was currently nestled on Raphael's lap as he typed away like he did every night

After spending several hours searching online, Raphael still had no answers. The only thing he had really found out was that Mr. Anderson was indeed quite a lawyer. In fact he was possibly one of the best lawyers in all of Domino. He had never really lost a case except for one case sixteen years before. His client was accused of murder and was eventually found guilty. After losing the trial though, Mr. Anderson decided to become a corporate lawyer instead. He immediately hired by Raphael's father to represent Azure Inc and that's where he remained all those years. Now that Raphael knew so much more about Mr. Anderson it didn't really help much. In fact it only served to confuse him even more. There was no telling who had decided to hire members of The Society to attack him. It could be absolutely anyone in the city. Suddenly all of the lights went off and the laptop shut down. He did have to work in a few hours so he decided to take this as a sign.

"I guess I should just get some sleep..." said Raphael as he picked the kitten up and slowly stood up from the couch "I'll think about everything tomorrow"

_"Don't worry Raphael..."_ hissed a low rapsy female voice somewhere from behind Raphael _"You'll be getting plenty of sleep..."_

Raphael immediately spun around and found himself looking down at five women. They all appeared to be clad in skintight black outfits, black high heeled boots, and black trenchcoats. He also noticed that they were all wearing black scaly looking armored gloves with razor sharp fingertips. He couldn't really see their faces, but he knew who they were. They were assassins...assassins sent by The Society.

_"You're a fool Raphael..."_ hissed the same woman in a raspy sounding voice as she looked straight at Raphael "_And soon you'll be a dead fool"_

"Why are you here?" growled Raphael as he looked down at the woman standing in front of him "Who sent you?"

_"We were sent by our master"_ hissed the woman as she narrowed her cold grey eyes and clenched her fist as well _"In order to finish you off"_

"Your master?" said Raphael as he frowned since he wanted to know who was the person who had sent these women "The Viper"

_"And when you anger a viper"_ said the woman as she motioned to the other women for some reason "_Then you get bitten.."_

The women then quickly spread out and began to circle Raphael. He was quite big and muscular after all, so it might take all of them to kill him. If he didn't bleed to death, then all hope wouldn't be lost though. After all the tips of their gloves were coated in a very rare and very deadly venom. A venom guaranteed to leave a person comatose and eventually dead. The use of such venoms was a trademark of The Society of Assassins. Raphael tried to stay very alert since he didn't know when these women would attack. In fact he had forgotten that he was carrying Eatos in his arm until the kitten mewed. Suddenly without any warning one of the woman lunged at him. She was aiming for his jugular artery in hopes of killing him instantly.

"Meow!" suddenly cried Eatos as she leapt straight out Raphael's arms and straight at the woman "MEOW!"

"Eatos!" cried Raphael when he saw what the cat did and feared that it would end up being killed "No!"

Suddenly there was flash of light so bright that it fully illuminated the entire apartment. Everyone momentarily reeled back since the light was blinding them due to it's intensity. Raphael squinted his eyes in an attempt to see what has causing the light. The light source was too intense though so he wasn't really able to look straight at it. He was able to finally see the assassins though as they stood there trying to shield their eyes. They were all extremely beautiful and he immediately realized that he had seen them before. _Flowers...it's those women named after flowers_

"You're those women" said Raphael as he tried to shield his eyes as best as he could "The same ones from Obsidia-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, a women leapt forward, kicked him in the chest, and knocked him down. In the process Raphael accidently hit the side of his head on the glass coffee table and began to lose consciousness. The woman just looked at him with her cold grey eyes and raised her arm as she prepared to tear his neck open. Suddenly something struck her from behind and sent her flying straight into a nearby wall. Raphael struggled to look up at whoever had done this to her despite that fact that his consciousness was slipping away. It was then that he realized that the person who had attacked her, and the source of the light, were one in the same.

"Eatos..."groaned Raphael as he saw Guardian Eatos standing there directly in front of him "Guardian Eatos..."

Raphael then closed his eyes and fell backwards onto the rug. Guardian Eatos looked at him with sadness in her eyes. She was sad because despite her effort to protect him, he still ended up getting hurt. She then quickly turned around to face the assassins, but they were gone. In a matter of seconds they had left as mysteriously as they had arrived. Unfortunately it was probably not the last they'd see of them.

"Huh?" suddenly exclaimed Raphael as he jumped up and realized that he must have fallen asleep "What happened?"

Raphael slowly looked around and realized that he was still sitting on the couch. The lights and his laptop was also still on and Eatos was curled up close to him. Suddenly Raphael remembered everything that had happened. How the female assassins had shown up, how they tried to attack him, and how Guardian Eatos had appeared. Raphael quickly got up and checked around his entire apartment. All of the windows were closed, the doors were locked, and there were no signs anyone had been there. Had it all been nothing but a dream? He then looked down at a nearby clock and realized that it was already one in the morning. It was definitely time for him to get some much needed sleep.

"Well as far as dreams go" said Raphael as he turned off the lights and headed into his bedroom "That has to be one of the strangest I've ever had"

Now that the room was completely dark, something appeared to be glowing under the couch. The source of the glow was from an object that had slipped it. The object in question was a single white feather...a feather that had come from the wings of Guardian Eatos.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Oh on a minor note Azalea, Belladonna, Nightshade, Gardenia, and Ivy are the names of several poisonous flowers. Also Quetzalcoatl is the Aztec god of knowledge and light and his name really does mean "Feathered Serpent". Oh and sorry if there was a little bit too much Alex in this chapter. Oh and once again more OOC warnings for the next chapters. Anyways thanks once again to everyone who reviewed! Hugs and kisses people ;)


	11. Denial

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Denial**

_"Why am I feeling this way?"_ thought Tea as she sat at her desk waiting for history class to begin _"It doesn't make any sense"_

It had been about one month since Tea first found out about the mysterious Alister. During this month she began to realize something very unusual though. In the first few days she was absolutely terrified just thinking of Alister. The fact that she dreamt about him on a nightly basis didn't seem to help either. Three weeks before though, she noticed something that she hadn't noticed before. In fact it was all she could think about now...

"_Maybe it's just my imagination"_ thought Tea as she looked over at the door for a moment and then back at her desk

Every time Tea dreamt about Alister, she would always reach up to caress his cheek. The moment she did this he would immediately tense up. When he did this it made her even more nervous than she already was. After a few seconds of gentle caressing though, he would finally begin to relax. In the past three weeks this began to change for some reason. Each time Tea would reach out to touch his cheek, he didn't seem to tense up as much. In fact in the past few days whenever Tea reached out to touch him, he wouldn't even flinch. It was almost as if though he had finally gotten used to her doing so. Tea was also finally beginning to get used to him as well. In fact she was getting so used to seeing him that before long she wasn't afraid of him anymore. _I almost feel like I know him..._

"_But that still doesn't explain why I feel like this" _thought Tea as she rested her chin on her hand and stared down at her desk _"Can it really be?"_

The fear Tea had once felt for this mysterious man was soon replaced with something else. Maybe it was the fact that Alister was always so quiet, or perhaps the fact that he was so mysterious. Or maybe it could even be the fact that despite these two things, he seemed familiar. Either way Tea realized yet another thing and this is what made no sense to her: She was beginning to have feelings for him. How could this be though? How could she possibly have feelings for a man she didn't know? Yes he seemed familiar but that didn't mean that she actually knew him. But then why did she feel so strange? Tea had only felt this way about one person before in her entire life: The Pharoah. _But I loved him...so does that mean that..._

_"No! This can't be the same thing!"_ thought Tea as she suddenly clenched her fists in confusion and frustration _"It can't! It just can't!"_

Tea's train of thought was suddenly broken when she heard two people talking right outside the classroom door. Upon closer inspection she realized that one of the persons talking was Alex and the other was Arielle.

"Look I can't talk to you right now!" said Alex in a very firm tone of voice outside in the hallway "I have to get to class!"

"Oh please Alex?" pleaded Arielle in a sugary sweet, almost sickening, tone of voice "Just give me an answer already!"

After leaving Alex unconscious, Arielle felt very guilty. This feeling only intensified when she saw the bruise on his head. The worst thing of all though had to be the fact that her hopes of ever winning him over had gone down the drain. She was feeling pretty miserable until her friend Stan made her aware of something. Stan and Alex were in the same the same chemistry class. Naturally everyone asked him about the bruise when they saw it. He told everyone that he had probably fallen down or something, but he wasn't sure. He had absolutely no memory of what had happened. That was all she needed to know...

"I don't have time for this!" said Alex as some sort of movement was heard from outside as he attempted to open the door "Now go-Hey let go of me!"

"I'm not letting you go anywhere!" said Arielle as her voice lost it's sugary sweetness and took on a darker tone "Not until you say yes or no!"

"You want an answer?" said Alex as he managed to pull away from her and stepped into the classroom "Well then my answer is no"

"What?" cried Arielle in a completely outraged tone of voice since she couldn't believe what she was hearing "But why not? I know you're going to be there!"

"Sorry" said Alex with a slight smile since she obviously hadn't expected to be rejected "But if you need a date I'm sure Stan will take you"

With that he quickly shut the door in her face and turned around. The moment he did he found that almost the entire class was staring at him. It was almost as if though they were disappointed that the show was over. His face turned several shades of red before he quickly scrambled over and sat next to Tea.

"So what did she want this time?" asked Tea with an amused grin when she noticed how red his face had gotten "She sounded more desperate than usual"

"Well I have to go to this party this Saturday" said Alex who was slouching down in his chair to keep people from staring at him "Unfortunately she was invited to the same party too"

"Now I can see why she was so desperate" said Tea now that everything had finally begun to make sense "She wanted you to go with her right?"

"Yeah...but I don't want to go with her" said Alex with a sudden grin at the thought of what he had done to her "Besides I'm sure someone else can take her"

"Well like you said I'm sure Stan can take her" said Tea as she began to have a flashback to the day Stan followed her home "After all it'll give him an excuse to show off his car"

They were about to burst into laughter then their professor walked in. The professor was a cranky old man who didn't like any sort of sudden outbursts. If fact anytime anyone did or said something uncalled for he'd stop the class just to single them out. Public embarassment was the last thing either one(especially Alex) needed at that moment...

"Raph this just arrived for you" said Varon as he entered Raphael's office holding a manila envelope in his hand "The girl who brought it said it was really urgent"

"Everyone that brings me paperwork says it's urgent even if it's not" frowned Raphael as he took the envelope and noticed that it had a small heart drawn on it "Well I'm almost pretty sure who this is from"

It turned out that Raphael was right since the envelope was from Constantina. After all she was the only person bizarre enough to draw a heart on a letter that was supposed to be "urgent". She was having a fashion show/party on Saturday night to unveil her latest fashion designs. The envelope contained the guest list, all the details about the floor layout, and several other things. She also included a small envelope(with another heart drawn on it) so he could let her know what she thought.

"Well I'd better get this over quickly" sighed Raphael with resignation as he began to write something on a piece of paper "Everything for her party seems within reasonable limits"

"Raph I don't think you should trust her" said Varon as he suddenly walked over and looked straight out the window at the Obsidian Inc building "Especially after what you told us"

The day after Raphael went to see Madame Cervantes, he told Amelda and Varon all about it. The strangest thing that he mentioned was that the CEO of Obsidian was a woman who looked almost like Constantina. The fact that she also seemed to dress completely in black seemed pretty suspicious. Then again so did every other female over at Obsidian. Raphael guessed that it might just be a mandatory color, but Varon wasn't convinced. He now believed that Constantina was a spy working for Obsidian Inc and that she should be fired. Then again Varon probably just wanted to see her get tossed out on the street. Amelda didn't agree with Varon's theory, but he did agree that she shouldn't be trusted. Raphael just listened to them but he didn't really say anything. As annoying as she was, deep down inside Raphael sensed that Constantina wasn't a bad person. _Although I'm not so sure about that other woman..._

"Come on Raph nobody dresses and acts that weird all the time!" exclaimed Varon as he jumped up on the edge of Raphael's desk and looked at him "Well except for Amelda of course..."

"Varon for the last time" said Raphael as he finished writing and he put the paper in the envelope "I don't think she's a spy"

"But for once Amelda and I agree that something's not right about her!" exclaimed Varon who couldn't believe that Raphael was dismissing his theory "Right Amelda?"

"Amelda?"

"_Why am I feeling this way?" _thought Amelda as he sat at his desk and blankly stared at the laptop in front of him _"It doesn't make any sense"_

Since the day Amelda found out that Tea was the lady in black, nothing had been the same. Things only got worse after the day that he helped her escape from Stan. Amelda began to feel very confused on that day and his latest dream only added to this. His dreams would always be the exactly the same up til the point where Tea reached out to touch his face. Only recently did he realize that now whenever she reached out to touch him, he didn't tense up anymore. Was it because he knew that she was going to do it? Or was it something else?

_"Amelda!"_

_"This is getting ridiculous!" _thought Amelda as he clenched one of his fists so hard that he nearly drew blood _"It's just a dream...it's not real!"_

Even though Tea apparently couldn't really see him in the dream, he was able to see her. The first time he first spoke to her he didn't find her very attractive at all. Then again all he saw was a stupid teenage girl who had bumped into him. Now everytime she reached out to touch his face, he was able to admire her features. She was actually far better looking that he had initially thought. She had shiny chocolate brown hair that gently framed her beautiful face. She wasn't wearing any makeup though which meant her beauty was all natural. The thing that captivated him the most though was her dark blue eyes. When he first looked into those eyes he realized they were filled with fear. Little by little though the fear in them seemed to be subsiding. Now when he looked into her eyes there was absolutely no fear in them. Instead they were filled with another emotion...but what was it?

"_Amelda!"_

_"I've never seen that look in her eyes before" _thought Amelda as he momentarily became aware of the pain in the palm of his hand _"It can't be that...can it?"_

The look in Tea's eyes did confuse Amelda, but not as much as his feelings. He couldn't understand what on Earth was wrong with him and he actually felt angry about it. He was angry at the fact that Tea continued to appear in his dreams. He was angry at the fact that he got so mad when Stan followed Tea home. He would get especially angry though when he remembered what went on in his dreams. Everytime Tea would caress his cheek he liked it...no...he loved it! No other woman had made him feel this way before. How could he have possibly let himself come to this? He had always been disgusted at how idiotic some men behaved when in love(Varon being a prime example). Wait..love? No...it couldn't be! _There has to be another explanation for this..._

"AMELDA!" shouted Varon at the top of his lungs as he leapt onto Amelda's desk and slammed the laptop shut "I've been talking to you for the past minute!"

"Huh?" said Amelda as he quickly snapped out of his day dream and frowned at the crazy young man sitting on his desk "What the Hell are you talking about?"

"Did you meet a bloke you like or something?" asked Varon who had noticed that Amelda's behavior had been very strange the past month "Because this is the third time today I've caught you day dreaming!"

"WHAT?"

"I just think he needs to get some fresh air" interrupted Raphael in order to make sure a fight didn't break out and his entire office got torn to bits "Why don't you take a walk?"

Amelda decided that a walk probably would do him some good. Before he left the office though, Raphael asked him to drop something off. Amelda took the envelope without looking at it, headed out of the office, and got on the elevator. It was only then that he noticed that the envelope was addressed to "Mrs. C. Von Furstenburg". He knew that he had been day dreaming but that didn't mean he deserved to be punished like this...

"Hey Serenity!" shouted Mokuba happily as he raced down the hallway towards Serenity's locker and nearly collided with her "There you are!"

"Hi Mokuba" said Serenity with a sweet smile as she looked up at Mokuba while closing her locker "You're looking really happy today"

After Serenity went to talk to Seto, she wondered whether he would actually listen to her. After a few days she realized that there had been some sort of changes at the Kaiba Mansion. For one thing Mokuba was back to his usual cheerful and friendly self. No longer was he talking badly about or resenting his older brother. He told her that for some reason Seto decided to sit down and have a talk with him. During this time Seto admitted that he had overreacted about the time he snuck off to the party. He said it was because he had been scared at the thought of not knowing where he was. He then added that it was because he sometimes forgot that he was no longer a child. It was obviously pretty difficult for him to accept it, but he did. Finally Seto said that despite everything that had happened between him, he loved him. He loved him more than anything and he didn't want them to grow apart. At this point Mokuba felt horrible about everything that had happened and he leapt forward to hug his brother. He told him that he loved him too and he that he hadn't meant any of the things he said. Seto hugged him back and hoped that they would never fight again. After that day everything pretty much went back to how it had been. Of course the only difference was that Seto was giving Mokuba a little more freedom. Mokuda never suspected that he had Serenity to thank for it.

"Guess what? Seto's going to a party on Saturday" said Mokuba who was so excited he could hardly contain it "Which means I'll get the mansion all to myself!"

"Are you planning on throwing a party then?" laughed Serenity who could tell that Mokuba definitely had some in mind "Or are you just going to wait up and make sure your brother comes home on time?"

"I should shouldn't I?" laughed Mokuba as he ran a hand through his long messy raven black hair "Actually...I was wondering if you wanted to hang out"

"Oh I'm so sorry Mokuba" said Serenity with a slightly disappointed look on her face since she really did like hanging out with him "But Joey's taking me somewhere on Saturday night"

"Oh..well we can always hang out another time" said Mokuba in a very disappointed tone of voice since he had really wanted Serenity to come over "So where are you guys going?"

"I'm not really sure since Joey said it's a surprise" said Serenity as they began to walk down the hallway and towards the area where the students ate lunch "Although I'm guessing it might be a restaurant"

"It could be" laughed Mokuba when he remembered just how much Joey loved food "Joey sure loves to eat right?"

Pretty much everyone knew that Joey absolutely loved food. What many people didn't know was that Serenity also loved food. Of course Serenity(and half the population) could eat nowhere as much as Joey. So when the Wheeler siblings went out together they usually went to a restaurant. In fact they had been to just about every single restaurant in Domino. They both enjoyed it very much since they would sit, talk, laugh, and eat. What else could they possibly ask for?

"Great..." muttered Amelda as the elevator door opened up indicating that he had reached the ground floor "Just great..."

Usually the ride in the elevator felt like it took forever, but not today. To Amelda it felt like the shortest elevator ride he had ever been on. He walked out of the elevator and into the lobby. The lobby was fairly empty today which probably made the receptionist very happy. Amelda then headed towards the hallway which led to where Constantina's fashion studio was located. He had never really been there so he could only wonder what he'd find. As he was approaching the studio, he noticed there was someone talking on their cellphone in front of the door. It was a young man was dressed in a tight black t-shirt, black jeans, black boots, and he had black hair. Amelda could care less, but that all changed the moment the young man turned around.

"_It's him!" _thought Amelda as his grey eyes filled with anger when he saw Stan standing in front of him _"What the Hell is he doing here?"_

"Listen I'll call you back" said Stan as he abruptly ended his phone call when he realized who the redhead in front of him was "What the Hell are you doing here?"

"A better question is what the Hell are you doing here?" said Amelda as he felt the rage inside of him quickly building up "Are you trying to harass the women who work here as well?"

"Don't think I've forgotten about the last time!" shouted Stan who was also felt rage when he what had happened the last time they met "I'm going to make you pay for that!"

"So you're still upset that a girl actually turned you down despite your fancy car?" said Amelda with a smug look on his face since he knew this would hit him right where it hurt "You do realize that means she wants nothing to do with you right?"

At this point Amelda was angrier than he had been all month. Now that he was looking at this stupid, arrogant, selfish, spoiled rich boy he realized how much he truly hated him. He was so angry in fact that he was actually hoping that Stan was looking for trouble. After all it would give him a perfectly good reason to finally kick his ass. Unfortunately Stan didn't quite react the way that Amelda had expected.

"Wait I think I know where this is heading" chuckled Stan as he just shook his head and looked at Amelda with an amused look on his face "I hate to break it to you...but I don't swing that way"

"WHAT?" shouted Amelda who felt as if though someone had dropped a bucket of cold water on him "I'M NOT GAY!"

"You're not gay?" said Stan with a snicker as he looked Amelda up and down for one moment "Well you sure fooled me"

"SHUT UP!" snapped Amelda who realized that this seemed an awful lot like the arguments he and Varon usually had "Who the Hell are you anyways?"

"Me? Well everyone calls me Stan" said Stan with an arrogant smirk since he figured his true identity would shock Amelda "But my real name is Constantine...Constantine Von Furstenburg"

_Constantine Von Furstenburg?_ This meant that he was none other than the son Constantina was always raving about. Suddenly all of this guy's behavioral problems made alot more sense. Constantine...or _Stan_ truly was nothing more than a spoiled mama's boy.

"So am I supposed to be impressed?" asked Amelda with an extremely bored expression on his face "Because for your information I'm not"

"That's not what the ladies say when they meet me" said Stan as he flashed his horribly annoying all too perfect smile "They can never get enough of me"

If Amelda had hated Stan before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Stan was the type of guy who treated women like toys. Once he was bored with them he'd toss them aside and find another woman. This was probably what he had intended to do with Tea as well. Amelda was so disgusted that he pushed Stan out of the way, dropped off the envelope, and immediately headed back to Raphael's office. _If I stay here I can't be held responsible for my actions..._

**Several Hours Later**

"Okay I got da bread, da cheese, da meat, and da mustard for dese sandwiches" said Joey as he stopped for a moment to check his shopping list "Now I just need ta find da mustard and da mayonnaise"

After getting out of class Joey was feeling pretty hungry but he remembered there was nothing to eat at home. There was a supermarket on the way back to his apartment so he decided to get a few things. A few things quickly turned into an entire shopping cart filled to the top. After all he believed that you can never have too much food. Halfway through his shopping he ran into Tea who was also doing her shopping. The only thing she had though was a loaf a bread, some orange juice, a few apples, and some cans of soup. It was a miracle that she hadn't starved to death on such a measly diet. After awhile she went off and he continued with his shopping. As he stood there trying to figure out where the mustard and mayonnaise were, someone hit him with their shopping car.

"HEY WHAT'S DA BIG IDEA?" shouted Joey since the person nearly knocked him into a display of pumpkin pie mix "WHO DO YOU THINK-Mai?"

"Joey?" exclaimed Mai as she opened her violet eyes in disbelief when she saw the messy haired blonde "Is that really you?"

The last time Joey had ever seen Mai was right after he defeated Varon in a duel. Varon ended up losing his soul and immediately after this Mai challenged him. She wasn't herself though since she was under the effects of the Orichalcos. Joey wanted to free Mai and he was willing to do whatever it took to save her. Whether or not he realized it he wanted the best for her...because he loved her. Joey lost the duel but right before his soul was claimed he realized something: Mai had been freed. He closed his eyes knowing that it had been worth it. It was only until he was gone did she realize just how much she had lost. Joey hadn't just been a friend, he was also the person she loved. After everything went back to normal and all the souls were restored, Mai avoided Joey. She was too ashamed to face him after all she had done, but she always thought of him.

"It's been a long time Mai" said Joey who honestly couldn't believe that he was seeing Mai again after two years "It's good ta see ya"

"I know it's been a long time" said Mai who never in her wildest dreams would have imagined she'd run into Joey "So how have you been?"

Joey then told Mai all about the things that had happened recently. She was very glad to hear that Joey had graduated and had gone on to college. It showed that he had matured alot since the last time she saw him. She was also very happy to hear that Serenity now lived with him and attended Domino High. This meant that they would no longer have to be apart from each other like in the past. Joey then asked Mai what she had been up to and she told him all about it. She was still a duelist and she went all around competing, but she had missed Domino. It was her home after all and that's why she finally decided to come back. There was so much more they wanted to say to each other, but a supermarket hardly seemed like the place to do so.

"Listen are you doing anything this Saturday evening?" asked Mai as she pulled a long golden strand of hair behind one of her ears "I was wondering if you'd like to go to a party with me"

"I'd like ta..." said Joey almost regretting what he was about to say next but a promise was a promise "But I promised ta take Serenity somewhere"

"Well why don't you bring Serenity along?" said Mai hopefully since she really wanted him to go with her "It's also been a long time since I've seen her"

"Ya mean it?" said Joey who couldn't believe his ears at that he was hearing at that moment "Yeah I'm sure Serenity'd love ta come!"

"Well here's my number" said Mai as she quickly scribbled her number down on a piece of paper and handed it to him "Be sure to call me for the details okay?"

They both looked at each other one last time before Mai went off. Joey then looked down at the paper and still couldn't believe it. Not only had he found Mai again but she actually wanted to go somewhere. He then shouted with joy and quickly ran off to tell Serenity the good news. It was only until he got outside that he realized something was missing: His shopping cart. _Da one thing I need is da one thing I forget..._

"I'm getting so tired of eating nothing this stuff" said Tea sadly as she looked into her almost empty grocery bag "But until mom calls, comes back, or sends me more money, I've got to budget"

So far Tea's mother was still gone and there were no signs of her. At first Tea just assumed that her mother was being crazy and irresponsible like the other times. After awhile though she began to wonder if she was okay. She had never taken so long to come back or contact her. For now all she could do was hope that she was merely due to her having too much fun. After a few minutes, Tea could finally see the street she lived on. She noticed that there was a spiky haired person sitting on the black metal bench on the other street. At first she thought it was Yugi but as she got crossed the street she and got closer she realized it was Varon. He appeared to be pretty deep in thought...

"Hi Varon" said Tea as she quietly approached him since she was reluctant to bother him "How are you?"

"Huh?" said Varon as he suddenly snapped out of it and looked up to see who had spoken "Oh hi Tea"

"I didn't interrupt anything important did I?" asked Tea with a sheepish grin since Varon seemed pretty surprised

"Nah you didn't interrupt anything" said Varon with a laugh as he suddenly stretched his arms out a bit "I'm just tryin' to figure out what's wrong with Amelda"

"Something's wrong with him?" said Tea in a concerned tone of voice because judging by Varon's behavior it might be something serious "Is it bad?"

Even though Amelda behaved like a jerk, Tea couldn't help but worry. In fact in the past three weeks he had gotten ruder than before. Now when she ran into him, he'd completely ignore her and walk right by. He was acting as if though he didn't want her to talk to him at all. Either that or he really hated her for some reason. Then again he had helped her for out that one time and she was still grateful for it. _But that still doesn't excuse his lack of manners..._

"Nah he's just been acting really weird" said Varon with a smile when he realized that Tea probably thought he was sick or something "Like he's in love or something"

"Oh well that's good" said Tea who was a relieved to hear that it wasn't anything serious after all "Everyone deserves to find love"

"Yeah but I don't think that's it" said Varon since the idea of Amelda being in love was way too farfetched "He's always sayin' that love is nonsense and that only idiots fall in love"

_**SCREECH!**_

They both quickly looked up just in time to see a black Mercedes make one Hell of a crazy(and dangerous) U-turn. The driver then came to a stop directly in front of where they were and that's when they realized who it was. Constantina immediately got out of her car and teetered over towards them on her heels. Luckily for Varon she seemed more interested in talking to Tea.

"Oh dahling!" said Constantina as she adjusted her glasses for a moment while looking at Tea "I was so sad you couldn't make it to my last party"

"Well I was going to go" said Tea who was honestly pretty relieved that she hadn't been able to make it to the party "But my ride never showed up"

"Oh I know!" exclaimed Constantina as she suddenly reached out and grabbed Tea by the arms "I heard what happened to Alex...poor boy"

Constantina then told her she wanted to make it up to her. She told her all about the party she was having on Saturday and she insisted that she come. As usual she added that it was formal wear because formal wear was fun. Tea realized she had been backed into a corner, but luckily she had a way out of it.

"I'd like to go" lied Tea in another attempt to make this woman let go of her since she had a super tight grip on her "But I don't have anything that counts as formal wear"

"Oh dahling that's not a problem!" laughed Constantina as she quickly let go of her and threw her arms up "I can send something over for you that's fun, cute, and formal!"

Tea's eyes widened and she quickly shot Varon a desperate look. She really didn't want to go and she didn't understand why this woman kept insisting. Varon knew just how she felt so he decided to come to her rescue. After all why should another innocent person be forced to suffer at the hands of this lunatic? And even if Raphael didn't believe him, Varon knew that something wasn't right about this woman.

"Well she can't go because she doesn't have a car" said Varon as he stood up and walked up next to Tea "Right?"

"It's true I don't have a car so I have to walk everywhere" said Tea as she quickly nodded and hoped that maybe this woman would take the hint "Then I have to walk all the way back here to get home"

"Oh well dahling it seems you're in luck!" laughed Constantina as she looked at the two brunettes standing in front of her "Varon could give you a ride! You both live on this street right?"

"No I don't!" lied Varon very quickly since he really wanted to help Tea at that moment "I'm not even familiar with this neighborhood!"

The moment he said this, Constantina burst out laughing so hard that she nearly fell down. Neither one understood what was so funny until she pointed something out. Amelda had been looking at them from a window but he moved away when he realized he had been spotted. Constantina knew very well that both young men were roommates. The fact that they always showed up at work together just confirmed it. Varon was obviously lying but she actually thought it was quite funny. So now Tea had no choice but to go and Varon had no choice but to take her.

"I'll have cute little Alex bring the dress to you!" shouted Constantina as she got back into her car and drove off "I'll see you on Saturday dahlings!"

"I'm so sorry about that sheila" sighed Varon as he plopped back down on the bench "I know you didn't want to get dragged into this"

"Well I don't think there was much either of us could do" said Tea with a slight smile as she looked down at him "She just wouldn't take no for an answer"

"Well...if you do want to go I'll take you" said Varon as he gave her an apologetic smile since he felt very guilty "After all I have to go whether I want to or not"

"I guess I'll think about it" said Tea as she looked at her watch and realized that it was getting late "Well...take care Varon!"

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank's alot to all of the people who were kind enough to review my last chapter! I appreciate it very much! Phew falls over I know this chapter was super-duper long!blushes Well the next chapter will be all about the horrible party that everyone absolutely dreads going to. So what'll happen at that party? Oh and major OOC warnings for the next chapter! Anyways thanks once again! Hugs and Kisses people:) throws chocolates


	12. Incognito

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Incognito**

The week flew by very quickly and before Tea realized it, Saturday night had arrived. At first she honestly didn't really want to go to the party, but as the days passed this began to change. The main thing that changed her mind was the fact that Alex was also being forced to go.

"Well at least I'll have one person to talk to" said Tea as she pulled her hair into an updo in order to show off the earrings she planned to wear "So it might not be so bad"

After she finished styling her hair, Tea went over to the closet and pulled her dress out. Despite Constantina's apparent lack of sanity, her dress left Tea completely speechless. The dress was made of a very beautiful material that containted varous shades it blue. It was almost like looking at the ocean. It was also full length, close fitting, and it had a strap that went over one of her shoulders. Once Tea got it on she realized that the material at the bottom of the dress seemed to extend. It almost looked like a mermaid's tail...

"_I still can't believe how beautiful the color of this dress is" _thought Tea as she picked up the small blue clutch she was going to be taking _"Well I'd better hurry before I get left behind"_

"Hey are ya ready mate?" shouted a tuxedo clad Varon as he knocked on Amelda's bedroom door "We've gotta go down to the curb and wait for Tea!"

"I'm not going" replied Amelda somewhere from inside of his room "But you'd better get going or else you'll be late"

"WHAT?" shouted Varon in disbelief at what he was wearing as he immediately charged into his bedroom "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT GOING?"

Amelda was just laying there on the bed with the remote in his hand while wearing the grey t-shirt and black sweatpants slept in. He didn't even bother to look at Varon and seemed more preoccupied with what was on tv. Varon was pretty pissed off though so he immediately went over and snatched the remote from his hand. It was only then that Amelda turned to look at him with a very annoyed look on his face.

"Why the Hell aren't you dressed?" shouted Varon who was tempted to throw the remote control across the room "WHY?"

"Because I don't have any intention of going" stated Amelda as he quickly sat up and snatched the remote from Varon's hand "Now go away and leave me alone"

"Wait...I know what is about" said Varon who was extremely frustrated with him at that moment "This is because Tea's going with us right?"

"What?" shouted Amelda as he jumped up so suddenly that he nearly fell off the side of the bed "What are you talking about?"

"You've been acting weird since I told you that she'd be coming with us" said Varon who was pretty sure this was the reason judging by Amelda's reaction when he mentioned Tea "Just how much do you hate her mate?"

"I don't hate her" muttered Amelda as he sank back into his pillow and wished that Varon would just leave him alone "Besides this isn't about her"

Amelda knew very well he was lying and that Varon was right...well half right. When Varon told him that Tea was going to the party with them, he was speechless. With the way he had been feeling recently, the last thing he wanted to do was face her. Just the thought of having her in the same car was too much for him. What if he wasn't able to control himself? What if he said or did something to make her suspect how he felt? If he truly were to do such a thing, Varon would never let him hear the end of it. To make matters worse he'd probably blab it all over town. _Besides...it's not like I really wanted to go_

"So while Raphael and I are forced to go to that horrible party" shouted Varon who was about ready to strangle Amelda at that point "You plan to stay here and watch tv?"

"It's my life so I'll do what I want" said Amelda as he suddenly stood up and stared down at Varon in hopes of intimidating him and getting him to leave "Now leave me alone you idiot!"

Varon frowned at him and looked away for a moment and out the window. It was only then that he noticed a woman wearing a blue dress stranding in front of the black metal bench. Even though she wasn't facing him, he knew it was Tea since that's where he agreed to meet her. He was still furious at Amelda, but he would deal with him later. _After all it would be rude to keep Tea waiting..._

"You always say I'm an idiot" said Varon as he suppressed his anger as best as he could while making his way to the door "But at least I'm not a bastard like you"

With that Varon slammed the door shut and a few seconds later he slammed the front door as well. Amelda sighed since he knew that Varon was really angry at him. For once he didn't blame him since he had behaved like a selfish jerk. He then stood up and looked out the window since he had a feeling Tea was out there. The moment he saw her, he was left completely speechless. She looked absolutely stunning in the beautiful blue dress she was wearing. So looked so beautiful in fact that he felt that the dress didn't do her justice. When Amelda finally came to his senses, he found himself digging through the closet in search of his tuxedo. _I'd be an idiot if I stayed here..._

"Hey Tea" said Varon as he pulled up to the curb in front of where Tea was and unlocked the passenger door "You look real nice right now"

"Thank you" smiled Tea as she opened the door, got into the SUV, and noticed that they were alone "So where's your friend?"

"He's not coming" said Varon who really didn't want to be reminded of Amelda at that moment "He said he didn't feel like going"

"_And I'm pretty sure it's because I was coming along" _ thought Tea since it was pretty obvious to her that Amelda didn't really like her at all "Oh...well that's too bad"

Varon then pulled back out onto the street and they were on their way. A few minutes after they had left, Amelda emerged from his bathroom. He was now nicely dressed, his hair was neatly styled, and he looked absolutely perfect. Now all he had to figure out was how to get to the party. He didn't really feel much like walking or taking a cab, but there was one other option. Without further hesitation he went over to his dresser, picked up the keys to his motorcycle, and immediately ran down to the garage.

**Half An Hour Later**

"Thank you so much for coming out here tonight!" exclaimed Constantina as she stood at the main entrance to the party in order to greet all of her guests "Now please enjoy yourselves dahlings!"

All of the people present applauded her and a few weirdos/fans of hers even bowed in her prescence. Raphael was standing close to her but he was only doing so to make sure nothing got out of hand. Nobody seemed to notice him though since all of their eyes were on Constantina's dress. It was a black form fitting dress with a wreath of black feathers of the bottom and she wore a matching hat. It had to be the most hideous thing ever, but nobody had the nerve to say anything. Nobody but Joey Wheeler that is...

"What's with dat dress?" asked a tuxedo clad Joey as he, Mai, and Serenity finally reached Constantina in order to greet her "Did ya pluck an ostrich ta make it?"

"Joey!" exclaimed Mai (who was wearing a sequined sleeveless royal purple cocktail dress) as she jabbed Joey in the ribs "Do you realize who you're talking to?"

"Sorry about that.." said Serenity(who was wearing a full length lavender ballgown) as she looked straight at Constantina "My brother loves to joke around"

"Oh aren't you a cute one?" laughed Constantina as she reached out and pinched Joey's cheek like crazy "I love someone with a sense of humor!"

Once Constantina let go, Joey quickly scurried off and Mai went after him. Serenity decided to go off on her own since she knew they had alot of catching up to do. When Mai caught up to Joey she looked pretty mad. They had only been there a few minutes and he had already managed to insult the hostess. Then again the hostess didn't really seem that upset about it. Either way it was embarassing and she was about scold him when he suddenly gave her a grin. It was a rather dopey/boyish grin that seemed to say "Sorry about dat Mai...but dat dress is pretty stupid".

"Oh...how can I stay mad at you?" said Mai as her violet eyes twinkled and she suddenly threw her arms around Joey "You were just being yourself"

"Dat's the only guy I eva am!" laughed Joey as he continued grinning and looked at her with his warm brown eyes "So...uh...what now?"

"Well we could just sit and talk" said Mai as her violet eyes seemed to twinkle more than usual for some reason as she looked him "How does that sound?"

"Dat sounds good!" said Joey with an even bigger grin since this was what he had been looking forward to all week "Lets go find a spot!"

Joey then put out his hand which Mai immediately took. They then smiled at each other and walked off together holding hands. This was absolutely a perfect moment and they both felt happier than they had in years. Alas the same couldn't be said for the poor young brunette who had just encountered the scene. When Varon realized that Mai was there with Joey, he was shocked. When he first spotted them, he believed that maybe they were only there as friends. Then again the look of happiness on Mai's face began to make him wonder. The moment they happily walked off holding hands, he realized the truth...

"_I've seen enough..."_ thought Varon who felt as if though Mai had torn his heart from his chest and stomped on it _"I'll never be good enough for her"_

Varon had never felt more worthless and unloved as he did that moment. He immediately spun around, pushed through the crowd, and made his way out of the building. _I'm nothing...I'm nothing at all!_

"_This party is so boring without Mokuba" _thought Serenity who was just sitting all by herself staring up at a stage/runway _"I can only imagine all the jokes he'd be making right now"_

Since the party was to honor Constantina's newest fashions, there were some models walking up a runway the entire time. They were wearing all sorts of dresses ranging from cute and normal looking to downright hideous and bizarre. The fact that the models just kept parading around the entire time didn't make much sense to Serenity. After all it's not like people were really looking at them. Most of the people were too busy talking, eating, or drinking champagne to notice them at all. Only a few weirdos, loners, and extremely bored people(like Serenity) were actually sitting down to watch them. Serenity was so busy staring at them that she didn't really pay much attention to a man who come over and sat beside her.

"This whole thing is a waste of time isn't it?" spoke the man in a disgusted tone of voice as he looked up at the runway "Who in their right mind would buy such ugly things?"

"Well they're not all bad" said Serenity whose gaze was now fixed on a model wearing a dress made of a material with various pink shades "Take that one for example"

"Hmph you would like that one" said the man as his lips curled into a slightly evil smile as he spoke "Wouldn't you Wheeler?"

"Huh?" said Serenity who immediately turned her head when she realized that this man had just called her by her last name "Kaiba?"

Serenity couldn't believe her eyes at all. The man who had been sitting beside her was none other than Seto Kaiba. He was wearing a black tuxedo which made him look even more handsome than usual. Suddenly Serenity remembered that Mokuba had told her that Seto was supposed to be attending a party on Saturday. Of course when he said this she imagined some sort of party with lots of business men...but a _fashion_ party? The whole idea of Seto Kaiba actually sitting there and watching a fashion show was pretty funny. Then again so was the idea of her brother Joey being there as well...

"So what are you doing here Wheeler?" asked Seto as he glanced over at the pretty auburn haired girl who looked extremely pretty that evening "Did you sneak in or something?"

"No.." said Serenity who suddenly remembered that like Kaiba, most of the crowd present were actually pretty rich "Actually I'm here with somebody"

"With your boyfriend Taylor?" asked Seto who remembered how the two young men would fight for Serenity's affection "Or your boyfriend Devlin?"

"They're not my boyfriends" said Serenity who involuntarily began to blush since she couldn't believe that Seto was asking her this "I-I don't have a boyfriend"

"Then who are you here with?" asked Seto as he casually put his arm around the chair Serenity was sitting in and leaned close just to see what she'd do "Or are you here alone and you're lying to me?"

The only reason Seto was there was because Mokuba R.S.V.P'd for him without his consent. When he found out he was outraged of course, but Mokuba insisted it was for his own good. He said that he needed to get out more and meet women. Seto knew he was only trying to get him out of the house though. He probably wanted to have Serenity and the rest of his friends over. So Seto went to the party, was bored out of his mind, and planned to leave when he spotted Serenity. She was looking very attractive that evening and she appeared to be all alone. She also appeared to be quite bored as well so he decided to go over and sit beside her. After all he had been sent there to meet a woman right?

"Well...I'm here with...um.." stammered Serenity as she saw Seto's icy cold blue eyes just inches away from her face "Uh...a friend"

"And it took you that long to remember?" said Seto with a smirk as he leaned in even closer to her and whispered almost seductively into her ear "Or are you afraid to tell me?"

"I-I-I" stammered Serenity who was completely overwhelmed since she could feel Seto's warm breath against her neck "I've gotta go!"

Serenity immediately stood up and took off running. Her cheeks burned as if though on fire and her body was beginning to feel very limp. There was no way she could let Seto know just how she felt...she had to get away. Meanwhile Seto just sat there with an amused grin on his face. Despite the fact that the evening started out so boring, in the end it proved to be quite entertaining. The way Serenity behaved in his presence never failed to amuse him. She seemed so overwhelmed by him and the grand finale had to be when she ran off. Well now that she was gone there was no sense in staying. _At least this evening wasn't a total waste ot time..._

"_Where is he?" _thought Tea as she walked around and tried her best to see if she could figure out where Alex was _"I should have seen him by now"_

So far Tea's evening had been fairly boring. After she and Varon arrived, he vanished somewhere into the crowd. She didn't know why until she realized that Constantina was personally greeting everyone. Constantina was absolutely thrilled to see that she was there and that she was wearing the dress she'd sent her. She was so thrilled in fact that she gave Tea such a crushing hug that her ribs were left hurting. After this Tea quickly moved away and began her search for Alex. So far she had pretty much looked everywhere but still no sign of him. What Tea didn't realize was that half of the time, Amelda had been following her around. After awhile he spotted the safari duo, so he decided to hide. Luckily he found a dark corner about ten feet away from where Tea was currently standing. _There now I can see her but she can't see me..._

"Tea!" suddenly cried a voice somewhere in the distance and a moment later a smiling tuxedo clad redhead emerged from the crowd "There you are!"

"Alex!" exclaimed Tea as she gave the redhead a hug when he approached her since she was so happy to see him "You had me worried there for a second"

"Sorry about that" said Alex with an apologetic grin as he looked down at her since he was also happy to see him "It's just that I saw Arielle come in so I've been hiding from her"

_"Oh it's just her little friend" _thought Amelda who had been starting to get jealous at the thought of her running into another man _"Well as long as she doesn't run into-"_

"Stan!" screeched a blonde haired girl wearing a strapless red cocktail dress who was standing just a few feet away from Amelda "Take a look at this!"

"What the Hell is it Arielle?" said Stan who was also wearing a black tuxedo as he made his way over to the blonde "What's so damn important that-Tea!"

"That stupid whore!" shrieked Arielle who looked about ready to jump forward and tear Tea to shreds "What does Alex see in her?"

"Don't worry" said Stan as his lips curled into a malicious grin as he studied both Alex and Tea "We can fix this little inconvenience if we work together"

He immediately began to tell Arielle exactly what they were going to do. First Arielle was going to go over and get Alex out of the way somehow. Now that he knew what she was capable of, this wasn't going to be a problem. Unfortunately Tea might try to interfere, but he would handle that. He would distract Tea long enough for Arielle to make her getaway. Best of all once they were out of the way, he would have Tea all to himself. The sinster duo then laughed and immediately walked towards Tea and Alex. It was such a perfect plan that they were certain nothing would stop them. What they didn't realize was that Amelda had overheard their entire twisted plan. He already hated Stan but now he hated Arielle as well. She was just a selfish, stupid, and malicious as he was. The way she talked about the young redhead, whose name was apparently Alex, bordered along the line of obsession. _It either of them try to hurt her... I won't hold back!_

"So your neighbor brought you here?" asked Alex who was finally beginning to have a good time now that he found Tea "That's good since you probably didn't have to wait that long right?"

"Yeah and we got here pretty quickly" said Tea who was completely unaware of what was approaching until she felt someone push her "HEY!"

"Oh there you are Alex!" cried Arielle as she once again pushed Tea and ran over to the shocked looking young man and began to drag him off "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

As expected, Alex resisted and he tried to pull away. Tea knew very well that he didn't want to go so she grabbed his other arm. There was no way she was going to let him be dragged off. Arielle just gritted her teeth and began to pull his arm as hard as she could. There was no way she was going to leave without him. Suddenly Tea felt someone tap her shoulder and she turned around.

"Hi Tea" said Stan as he gave her a big smile as he looked down at her and was impressed at just how good she was looking "You're looking nice tonight"

"Sorry I can't talk right now!" said Tea as she didn't really feel much like talking to Stan at a time like this "I have to-Where did they go?"

In the few seconds that Stan had distracted Tea, Arielle had vanished with Alex. Alex was not being cooperative so Arielle had no choice but to hurt him. She didn't want to hurt him as bad as last time, so she merely kicked him in the shin. Still the blow was pretty painful, but it made it alot easier to drag him off. Amelda had seen the entire thing and he felt sorry for the younger redhead. Arielle was clearly a sadist and there was no telling what else she might be capable of doing.

"That's a really nice dress you're wearing" said Stan as he tried to change the subject since he didn't want her going off after them "Is it one of my mom's dresses?"

"Your mom?" said Tea with a confused look on her face as she looked up at Stan whose smile seemed almost borderline maniacal at that moment "What are you talking about?"

"Well since you're here" laughed Stan when he realized that Tea didn't know who his mother was which meant he'd get the chance to impress her "I assumed you knew"

"There you are Constantine!" cried Constantina as she suddenly darted out of nowhere and grabbed her son by the arm "Come there's someone just dying to see you!"

"Mom let me go!" hissed Constantine from the humiliation since his mom could not have picked a worse time to do this "This isn't the time!"

"Nonsense!" cried Constantina before grabbing Stan's ear and dragging him off like an unruly child "Now come along since it rude to keep them waiting!"

_"Not so cool now are we?" _thought Amelda with an amused grin on his face now that Constantina had made a fool of her son in front of Tea _"This is probably the only time I've been happy to see Constantina"_

"_Wow.._" thought Tea as she blinked her eyes since she had no clue what had just taken place despite the fact that she witnessed it "_And I thought my mom was bad"_

Tea then looked around for a moment and realized that she was by herself. She didn't really know anybody and the people she did know kept vanishing for one reason or another. Unless Alex somehow managed to reappear, she'd have to spend the rest of the night alone. Now as the stood there all alone, Amelda gazed at her longingly.The way her hair was styled complimented her face and made her look even more beautiful. The dress she was wearing was also incredible and made her look almost like a mermaid. He was extremely tempted to go over to her so he stepped out of the shadows a bit. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he sighed sadly and lowered his head. After all what were the odds that she would even like him? It seemed like he would have to be content with just observing her from afar. He was feeling so depressed that moment that he completely failed to notice that she was now facing in his direction. From where she was standing she could see a tall redhead man in a tuxedo concealed in the shadows.

_"Alister?" _thought Tea with a shocked look on her face as she looked directly at the man who looked exactly like one in her dreams "_Can it be_?"

Before Tea even knew what was happening, she felt her legs taking her over to him. When Amelda raised his head once again, he was startled to find her standing about four feet away from him. Her blue eyes were filled with a look of shock and disbelief as she looked up at him. She then blinked for a moment and she simply whispered "Alister". The moment she said this, Amelda felt fear unlike any other. Without any further thinking he found himself running as fast as he could towards the exit.

"It is him!" gasped Tea when she realized that this man truly was Alister so she decided to follow him in hopes of seeing who he was "Wait! Come back!"

_"I don't think she knows who I really am"_ thought Amelda as he ran even faster towards the exit when he realized that she was following him _"I have to make sure it stays that way!"_

"Alister!" cried Tea as she saw him run through the exit so she picked up her speed despite the fact that she was wearing high heels "Please come back!"

Amelda ran as quickly as he could in hopes of getting to the street where he had parked his motorcycle. Unfortunately Tea was right on his heels and she kept crying out for him to stop. He decided to forget about the motorcycle and just continued running as fast as he could. His main priority right now was to give her the slip somehow. Then again that probably shouldn't be too hard since judging by the sound of her footsteps she was in high heels. She would eventually get tired, stop chasing him, and go back to the party. Several blocks later this didn't seem to be the case since she was still after him. He couldn't believe that she still hadn't given up, but that's when he heard it: a body hitting the pavement.

"Huh?" said Amelda as he quickly spun around and saw Tea lying facedown on the sidewalk not too far from him "Tea?"

He quickly ran over to her and when he turned her over he realized that she was unconscious. She had been so determined to catch up to him that she ran until she passed out from the sheer exhaustion. With the distance they had run it was no wonder since they were nearly home at that point. He knew it was his fault, so he carefully picked her up in his arms and decided to take her home. _She probably won't wake up til tomorrow..._

_"Mai doesn't love me because I'm worthless" _thought Varon who was sitting against a wall right outside the entrance of the Azure Inc building _"I'm so worthless that nobody'll ever want me"_

After Varon left the party, he spend the rest of the evening sitting outside feeling like crap. At first he had been so angry that he began to curse like crazy and punch the wall. After doing this for awhile, his knuckles were bloody and his throat was sore. After this he threw himself against the wall in another attempt to further hurt himself. Then again no physical pain could be a match for the pain in his heart. After awhile he just collapsed onto his knees and felt hot tears, of sadness and rage, flow from his eyes. He wiped the tears away in disgust and wasted no time in verbally abusing himself. He was determined to hurt himself one way of another. After a session of raw, cruel, and unbridled self loathing, it seemed he achieved his goal. He felt worse than he had ever felt in his entire life...

"_All I can do now is pity myself" _thought Varon as he ignored the glances of some people passing by at that moment "_Pity myself like the worthless trash that I am"_

"_I still can't believe I acted like that in front of Kaiba" _thought Serenity to herself as she walked down the sidewalk back towards the entrance "_I don't even want to think what would happen if Joey ever found out"_

After running out of the party, Serenity decided that the only thing she could do was hide. She noticed that there was a coffee shop across the street so she ran over there and hid. As long as Seto was inside of the party, she had no intention of returning. After awhile Seto finally emerged from the party, got into the back of his limo, and was gone. Serenity just breathed a sigh of relief since she would now be able to go back. Right as she was about the head back into the party, she noticed a young man off to the side. He was a brunette with some of the wildest and messiest hair she had ever seen..but could it possibly be? _There's only one way to find out..._

"Valon?" asked Serenity in a very soft and almost shy voice since she wasn't certain if this was the same young man from the pizza place "Is that you?"

"Huh?" said Varon rather hoarsely as he raised his head to see who called him by his pseudonym "S-Serenity?"

"It is you" said Serenity as she smiled since she was happy to see him but it quickly faded when she noticed the sad look on his face "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong" said Varon as he quickly lowered his head since he was honestly in no mood to speak to anyone "Nothing at all..."

"Your hands!" suddenly cried Serenity as she noticed the dried blood and bruises on his knuckles "What happened to you?"

Most people would simply believe that Varon had gotten into a fight judging by the bruises on his hands. The moment Serenity first looked into his eyes, she realized it was much more serious than that. Varon's sky blue eyes were filled with a look that could only be described as misery and despair. He wasn't just hurting physically, he was hurting mentally as well. But what on Earth could have inflicted so much suffering on him? When Varon finally raised his glance, he was surprised to find Serenity kneeling down beside him. Her warm beautiful brown eyes were filled with a look of concern. This was strange since Raphael and Amelda were the only ones who ever seemed to worry about him. Why did she care though? Was she simply pitying him because he was so lowly and pathetic at that moment? _Yeah that's probably it..._

"I'll be alright" said Varon with a weak smile before turning to look away from her since he didn't want her pity"You should get back before your boyfriend worries about you"

"Actually.." said Serenity as she felt her cheeks beginning to burn as she was forced to admit the truth for the second time that evening "I don't have a boyfriend"

"You don't have a boyfriend?" asked Varon as his head snapped up in disbelief at what he was hearing "What about that black haired bloke you were with at Constantina's last party?"

"Mokuba?" asked Serenity who was more surprised to hear that Varon had seen her at the last party "He's just a friend of mine"

"I'm sure you've had others though" said Varon who was honestly a little happy to hear that the rich boy wasn't her boyfriend "Am I right?"

"Actually" said Serenity very shyly since she was being forced to admit something that she'd never really admitted to a stranger before "I've never had a boyfriend..."

Varon could not believe what he had just heard. Serenity the beautiful young girl standing in front of him had never had a boyfriend? How could this be though? She was absolutely one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen in his life. She blushed and shyly lowered her gaze when she noticed him looking straight at her. She was definitely telling the truth and the truth could not have been better. Now that he knew this, there was no way he was letting her get away. He wanted to get to know her and now was the chance. Without further hesitation he quickly pulled himself up, dusted himself off, and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Listen...uh.." asked Varon who suddenly found himself having a hard time getting the words out "Do ya wanna go get some coffee or something?"

"Really?" asked Serenity who was pretty surprised since she had never really had any guy(except Tristan) ask her out, even for coffee, before "Um...okay!"

With that they both smiled at each other and promptly made their way across the street. They were both secretly feeling happy that they had found each other. Now they could finally get to know each other. _Nothing can spoil this moment..._

_"I hope that woman from last time doesn't show up" _thought Amelda as he struggled to unlock Tea's front door without making too much noise _"That's the last thing I need"_

Much to Amelda's relief he was able to get the door open fairly quickly. He then promptly went inside and closed the door behind him. The apartment was dark at that moment and the only light that came in was from a window in the living room. Just like last time though, the light was shining down on the couch. Amelda promptly walked over to the couch, lay Tea down, and put her purse on the glass coffee table. He planned to just drop her off and leave quickly, but now he found himself unable to do so. As he knelt there beside her and looked at her, he knew he couldn't lie to himself anymore. He loved her and he secretly wished that she could love him as well. He then brought his hand towards her face and gently began to caress her cheek. Suddenly she gave a little groan and opened her eyes a bit.

_"No!" _thought Amelda as he fell backwards with a rather loud thud when he realized that she was waking up _"Not now!"_

"Alister?" asked Tea as she sat up and noticed the young man lying there on the ground despite the fact that it was so dark "It is you!"

Amelda was in such shock that he immediately got up and tried to flee once again. Tea was quick though and she managed to grab him by the arm. He desperately tried to pull himself free but it was no use since she had a firm grip. She was not going to let him get away until she knew who he was. _Especially now that I'm falling in love with you..._

"Wait!" cried Tea as she dug her heels into the carpet in order to keep him from escaping "Do you have any idea how much I've wanted to meet you?"

_"What?"_ thought Amelda in disbelief the moment he heard her say this _"Is she serious?"_

"Please..." pleaded Tea in her sincerest tone of voice since she really did want to know who he was "I'm telling you the truth"

Amelda didn't even know why he was doing it, but he stopped resisting. A part of him was still tempted to run away, but another part wanted to stay there. At that moment just like in his dreams, Tea reached up, and began to stroke his cheek. Her hands were so soft that it was far better than he ever could have hoped her. As he looked down at her, he happened to notice the look in her eyes.

_"That's the same look she has in my dreams" _thought Amelda as he stared intently into her dark blue eyes more than ever _"But what does it mean?"_

As Tea stood there stroking his cheek, she couldn't resist anymore. Even though she didn't know what he looked like, she longed to do this. Without further thinking she pulled him forward and kissed him on the lips. Amelda was startled since he never expected this, but now it was happening. Now he knew that the look in her eyes meant that she did have feelings towards him. Finally Amelda was able to put an end to all his doubts and give in to his true feelings. He then wrapped his arms around her and their kiss grew more passionate. Everything about this felt so right and it was the best thing that either one had ever experienced.

"Will you let me see who you are?" asked Tea once the kiss ended since she was now completely certain of her feelings for him "Please?"

"Yes" responded Amelda who was feeling exactly the same way she was at that moment _"I'd do anything for you"_

Tea gave a smile and immediately went over and turned on one of the lamps. The moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived. She was finally going to get to see who the man in her dreams actually looked like! The only thing she still did wonder about was the little boy who appeared in her dreams. Did Alister really have a little brother named Miruko or was he just a dream? She hoped not since Miruko was the cutest little thing and she would love to meet him. When Tea finally looked over, she thought she had lost her mind.

"_What?_" thought Tea as her eyes opened wide in disbelief at the person she was seeing in front of her "_Amelda?_"

At first Tea thought that maybe it was all a dream and that she'd wake up at any moment. Amelda was a tall handsome redhead with stunning grey eyes and he was wearing a tuxedo. He matched Alister's description perfectly. Suddenly reality hit and she realized that this was not a dream. Even though Alister could have been anyone, he turned out to be a person who most likely hated her. _Why did this have to happen?_

"Why?" screamed Tea in anguish as she looked up at him and felt a sharp pain rip through her heart "WHY?"

Tea suddenly felt something cold surround her and her body went limp. The last thing she remembered feeling was a horrible pain in her back before everything went black. The pain she felt was nothing compared to what Amelda was feeling. When he noticed the shocked look on Tea's face, he had a bad feeling. She had obviously not expected it to be him. The next thing he knew she began to scream and almost immediately fainted. She then fell backwards onto the coffee table and it shattered into many pieces. As Amelda looked at her lying among the broken glass, he knew this wasn't the only thing she had shattered. She had also shattered his hopes, his dreams, and more importantly...his heart.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Wahh school starts next week so updates will be alot slower. Well now I can finally answer your question Cerulean San! The pairing will officially be SetoxSerenityxVaron. Well for now I can't say who she'll end up with(I'm still deciding). Ah and as always another warning about OOCness in further chapters! Anyways once again thanks to all of those who have reviewed my story! Hugs and Kisses:) throws chocolates


	13. Don't Wanna Love You

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Don't Wanna Love You**

_"Wake up Tea!" cried out a voice from somewhere in the darkness "Come on wake up!". "Huh?" thought Tea as she slowly opened her eyes and found herself slumped over on the bench "What happened?". At that moment Miruko happily skipped up to Tea and gave her the biggest grin humanly possible. "You fell asleep silly!" giggled Miruko as he jumped up on the bench beside her "So it was up to me to wake you up!". Miruko truly was the cutest little boy Tea had ever seen. His messy red hair, his cheerful smile, and those big grey eyes..those same grey eyes. In fact Miruko looked almost like a cute, sweet, and innocent little version of Amelda. "Why didn't I notice it before?" thought Tea as she continued to look at the little boy beside her "No...maybe it's just a coincidence". "I can't wait for Amelda to come!" said Miruko as he happily kicked his legs and glanced up at Tea "I hope he shows up soon!". "Amelda?" said Tea as she felt her heart skip a beat "Isn't your brother's name Alister?". "Alister is his middle name" said Miruko who grinned so hard at that moment that his eyes closed "But his first name's Amelda". No..._

_"No..."_

"NO!" cried Tea at the top of her lungs as she violently thrashed her body and felt a sharp pain in her back "No..."

As Tea slowly opened her eyes she realized that she was lying facedown on the couch. Despite the stinging pain on her back, Tea slowly pulled herself up and looked around. The apartment was completely dark and the light that came in from the window illuminated the broken glass upon the floor. Suddenly the memories of everything that had happened earlier came back to Tea. The moment she first noticed "Alister" at the party, the moment she chased after him, the moment she woke up and found him in the apartment, the moment they kissed, and more importantly...the moment she discovered the truth.

"Why did he have to be Alister?" whimpered Tea who could no longer hold back the tears of pain at that moment "And why did I have to fall in..."

Tea couldn't even finish her sentence as she quickly buried her face in her hands and began to cry. In the past few weeks Tea found herself falling for the mysterious stranger in her dreams. She knew nothing about him yet that didn't stop her from loving him. Now in a cruel twist of fate, the mysterious stranger turned out to be a seemingly coldhearted man. A man, who according to Varon, thought that love was complete nonsense and only for idiots. There was no possible way that Amelda would ever return her feelings. In fact his recent attitude towards her only confirmed that he despised her. _But then how did it manage to come this far?_

"_Did I do something to deserve this?" _thought Tea as she continued to sob louder than she ever had before _"Or was it just a big misunderstanding?"_

Maybe Amelda had simply found Tea passed out on the street and that's why he had brought her home. He had probably never meant for her to find out. After all he was a complete stranger whom Tea knew nothing about. The only thing she knew was that he was a very unusual person. One day he was rude to her, the next he was actually helping her out, and the day after that he was not only rude but cold as well. Then again he probably hadn't counted on running into Mrs. Dominguez. So maybe Tea was the one who blew it out of proportion and took it to another level. After all she was the one who was foolish enough to fall in love with a man without knowing his true identify. Now it had all blown up in her face and maybe she did deserve to suffer. Tea the slowly got off the couch, headed into her bedroom, and threw herself facedown onto her bed.

"_I don't want to love him" _thought Tea as she buried her face in one of the pillows and continued to sob _"I have to pretend that none of this ever happened..."_

_"I'm an idiot" _thought Amelda as he lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling in his bedroom _"How could I let myself think that she'd like me?"_

After Tea fainted, Amelda stood there for a few minutes completely unable to move. The memories of absolutely everything that had happened that evening flooded his mind. The moment he looked out the window and saw her, the moment he began to follow her around at the party, the moment she chased after him, the moment she woke up and saw him, the moment they kissed, and finally...the moment she discovered the truth. These memories were cruel and they made him feel pain unlike any he had felt in recent years. Now that everything had been discovered, Amelda was left facing the harsh reality. He didn't want to spend another moment in this place. So after pulling Tea out of the broken glass and leaving her on the couch, he immediately headed back to his apartment.

All it took was one little kiss..." said Amelda with a bitter laugh as he continued staring at the ceiling "One kiss to make me act like a complete idiot.."

Indeed a single kiss was all it took to bring Amelda's world crashing down. Even though it had been one of the best moments of his life, it was also one of the worst. During the kiss he was actually foolish enough to let himself think that Tea loved him. The way she reacted to him though proved to be the complete opposite. The thing that completely baffled him was why she had kissed him in the first place. Was she completely out of her mind or did she do it for the Hell of it? Would she have done it if she had known who he truly was? _Or was this all just some kind of game?_

_"If she wanted to make me feel like a fool" _thought Amelda as he angrily threw one of the pillows off of the bed _"Then she did a Hell of a job"_

Even though at first Amelda was angry at Tea, he soon realized that he should be angry at himself. After all he was the one who chose to pay attention to dreams that he usually would have dismissed as nonsense. Then again, the only reason they got his attention was because Miruko was in them. Amelda was always happy to see Miruko, even if it was only in a dream. He could have ignored the rest of the dream, but for some stupid reason he didn't. He was the one foolish enough to let himself fall in love with Tea based on nothing but a dream. He was also the one who chose to let her see who he truly was. Now judging by her reaction it was obvious that the feeling wasn't mutual. Then again a part of him actually didn't blame her for reacting like this. Whatever she thought of him was based on the first time they met on the street. He knew that he behaved like a complete jerk that time. The day Stan bothered Tea could have been his chance to redeem himself, but he didn't take it. He was so confused by his feelings that he chose to hide them with a mask of apathy. The moment he chose to start ignoring her in order to hide his feelings was probably the moment he sealed his fate. Now not only did she probably think that he was a cold and unfriendly jerk, but now an arrogant one as well. So as much as Amelda hated it, he had to face the truth...

"_She hates me_.." thought Amelda as he rolled onto his side and opened the drawer on his nightstand "_She hates me and I completely deserve it_"

Amelda cautiously pulled the locket with his mother's picture as well as Miruko's toy robot out of the drawer. These two simple little objects represented the two people he had had loved and cared for the most. He loved his father as well but he remembered very little of him since he died shortly before Miruko was even born. Miruko and his mother had been his life, but the day he lost them he suffered. He suffered so much that he made a vow to ensure that he'd never suffer like this again. He vowed never to love anybody for as long as he lived. After all it seemed that he was cursed since every single person he loved seemed to end up dying. He didn't want to go through this heartbreak ever again. The moment that Tea found her way into his dreams, everything began to change. As much as he resisted he ended up falling love with her and breaking his vow. She didn't love him though, so in a strange way it seemed fate had done them both a favor. Tea had been saved from the same fate as every other person Amelda had loved, and he wouldn't face the heartbreak of losing her. Amelda sighed, closed his grey eyes, and finally began to drift off to sleep. _I have to forget her and pretend that none of this happened..._

"So you thought Constantina's dress was silly too?" giggled Serenity with an amused look on her face as she played with the purple straw in her ice blended drink "I'm glad I'm not the only one"

"If you think that's bad you should see this hat wears sometimes" laughed Varon as he absent-mindedly did the same thing with his own straw "It looks like a flying saucer on her head"

So far Serenity and Varon were actually having quite a good time at the coffee shop. They were talking, laughing, and enjoying each other's company as if though they had known each other for years. So far Varon had found out that Serenity was sixteen years old, a Junior at Domino High, and that she lived with her older brother. She spoke very kindly of her brother and her friends. She was obviously a sweet, honest, caring girl..not to mention extremely pretty as well. She was truly unlike any other girl Varon had ever met before. Serenity also found out a few things about Varon. She learned that he was eighteen years old, worked at Azure Inc, and that he lived with a roommate. He actually made her laugh with the way he spoke of his roommate who was apparently a total neatfreak. Despite this though, he added that he cared about his friends and was happy to have them in his life. Varon was not only funny, but he was also sincere, caring, and a very noble person. He was definitely the kind of guy a girl would want.

"Valon can I ask you a question?" asked Serenity as she let go of the straw and looked straight into Varon's sky blue eyes "What do you do at Azure Inc?"

"_Should I tell her my real name...or does it really matter?" _thought Varon to himself before straightening up and answering her question "Oh I'm one of the CEOs personal assistants"

"A personal assistant to the CEO?" exclaimed Serenity with a complete look of disbelief in her warm, almost amber colored, brown eyes "Is he mean, bossy, and intimidating?"

"Actually he's one of my best chums" said Varon with a naughty almost impish grin on his handsome face "He's a really nice bloke and he treats me far better than I ever coulda hoped for"

"You know what?" said Serenity as she blushed a bit since she was a bit embarassed to be saying this but she was dying to do so "I really love your accent"

"You do?" asked Varon with a surprised look on his face since nobody had ever said this to him before(it was usually the opposite) "Well...right back at ya sheila"

They both laughed for a moment, but then there was a vibrating sound coming from Serenity's purse. She quickly pulled a tiny pink cellphone out from her purse and realized that Joey had sent her a text message. It told her that he and Mai were ready to leave and that they'd be waiting for her near the runway with the models. Serenity felt disappointed since she had been having fun, but Mai was their ride home. She slowly rose to her feet and told Varon that it was time for her to go back home. Much to her surprise he stood up as well.

"I had a really great time" said Serenity as she looked up into those beautiful, almost mesmerizing, sky blue eyes "So thank you for everthing"

"I'm glad you had a good time" said Varon who at that point had forgotten about Mai thanks to the lovely girl before him "I had a really great time too"

"Goodnight Valon"

"Goodnight Serenity"

_"Fools..." thought the lone woman dressed in black as she looked down at the five bodies lying on her office floor "But in death you'll be far more useful than you ever were in life". The woman then knelt down and retrieved the five empty champagne glasses before returning to her desk. "My dear Odysseus.." said the woman as her green eyes began to glow ominously "By the end of this evening you'll pay for your insolence". At that moment the office door opened up and five men entered the room. They were all dressed completely in black and their eyes were cold and lifeless looking. "Take these fools back into their laboratory" said the green eyed woman with a twisted smile on her face "It's seems they've had too much to drink". The men bowed to her and immediately dragged the bodies off. "Did I do the right thing?" said Odysseus to himself as he walked down a small quiet street "Or did I act too rashly?". As he walked home he couldn't help but think he made a mistake. After all what if he couldn't get another job? How was he supposed to care for his family? Then again after what he found out that day, any other place would be better. Odysseus finally walked up a small blue house with a white fence and a silly decorative flamingo on the lawn. A few moments later he heard a woman's laughter followed by a child's laughter. He now realized he had done the right think and gave a little smile before putting his hand on the door knob and opening the door_

**Knock Knock Knock**

"Huh?" said Tea as she was woken up by the sudden knocking on the front door "W-Who can it be?"

Tea wasn't really expecting anyone, but the person at the door kept knocking insistently. She could only pray it wasn't Mrs. Dominguez since she was still wearing the same dress from last night yet again. Tea quickly staggered over to the door and when she opened it, she found two women standing there. They both had on black dress suits, a pink blouse underneath, and a pink silk scarf around their necks. It was the official uniform of an upscale department store downtown called "Von Schroeder's". Tea had seen it thousands of times since her mother also worked at "Von Schroeder's". _At least when she's not running off as usual..._

"Hello we're looking for Amneris" asked a short blonde haired woman as she looked up at Tea "She's our supervisor over at "Von Schroeder's"

"We have to talk to her right away" said a tall curly haired brunette as she looked down at Tea "It's really really urgent!"

"My mom's not here right now" said Tea as she sleepily rubbed her eyes and wished to go back to sleep "In fact I haven't seen her since the beginning of September"

"Do you know when she'll be back?" asked the short blonde woman with a desperate look on her face "We really have to talk to her as soon as possible!"

"We need her to come back as soon as possible" said the tall brunette woman as she gave Tea the same look as the other woman "Before it's too late!"

"What's it about?" asked Tea when she realized that these women were truly agitated which meant it was something serious "What's so urgent that you need to talk to her?"

The woman then explained that the owner, Mrs. Von Schroeder, was personally going to come for the yearly inspection. Although everyone was used to Tea's mother disappearing suddenly, she had never done it during inspection time. Unfortunately Amneris was the manager in the cosmetics department and if she wasn't there for the inspection, she would be fired right away.

"What?" cried Tea in complete shock when she heard what the woman had just said "But isn't there anything you can do?"

"Well I would gladly fill in for her if I could" said the short blonde woman as she looked up at Tea "But our department is so understaffed right now that it's impossible"

"What if I were to work there?" said Tea who didn't want her mother to end up losing her job after so many years "Would you be able to fill in for my mom if I did?"

The two women exchanged surprised glances before looking at Tea once again. At first they thought she was joking but Tea told them it was no joke. She was determined to work there if necessary. The blonde woman then told her that it she was serious, she could start working the very next day. Tea agreed to be there and the women were promptly on their way. _Amneris you owe me big time..._

**Sunday Evening**

"Another slice of pizza Serenity?" asked Tristan with his usual lovestruck look as he glanced over at Serenity on the couch "Or maybe some chips or...something else?"

"Um...no thank you" said Serenity with a polite little smile as she held up a slice of pizza that was on her paper plate "I'm fine for now"

"YA DIRTY PERVERT!" shouted Joey as he jumped out of the recliner and tackled Tristan "SHE DOESN'T WANT WHAT YOU'RE OFFERIN'!"

Since Joey and Tea had gone to a party the previous night, Movie Night was moved to Sunday instead. As usual Joey and Tristan were fighting either over food, movies, or because Tristan was hitting on Serenity. Since they were at Joey's apartment this time, Serenity could only watch as Joey and Tristan rolled around and knocked things down as usual. The only thing that truly did seem unusual was that Tea wasn't shouting at them to stop like she normally did. In fact Yugi noticed that she hadn't really said much the entire evening. _Something's not right..._

_"How could I not figure out that he was Alister?" _thought Tea as she blankly stared at the tv screen in front of her _"He's the only other grey eyed redhead I've ever seen besides Alex!"_

"Tea?" asked Yugi as he gently reached over and tapped Tea on the shoulder which snapped her out her trance "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah..." lied Tea since she was much too hurt and humiliated to tell anyone, even Yugi, about what had happened "I-I feel fine..."

"But you're beginning to cry" said Yugi in a soft tone of voice as he looked at her and noticed her dark blue eyes getting watery "What's wrong Tea?"

Tea couldn't hold in the pain anymore, so she just burst into tears and sobbed very loudly. Yugi, Joey, and Tristan had seen Tea cry before, but never like this. Something serious had definitely happened in order to reduce her to such a state. Everyone immediately gathered around Tea and they began to try to find out what had happened. After a few minutes Tea managed to calm down, but she knew that they wanted to know what had happened. Normally tell them what was wrong, but this time she was unable to do so. So she thought quickly and knew just what to say...

"I-I'm sorry about that" said Tea as she sniffled and wiped her eyes with a box of tissues that Serenity had given her "It's just that I found out my mom was going to be fired from her job"

"What?" suddenly cried Serenity since she knew that Tea's mother wasn't even in Domino at the time "But how can they do that?"

"Well she has been gone for a long time" said Tristan as he sat on the ground close to Tea at that moment "Maybe that's the problem right?"

**POW!**

"For your information that's not the problem!" said Tea after she kicked Tristan right in the butt "But that doesn't matter because I'm going to be working there in the meantime"

"Are ya gonna work da same hours as your mom?" asked Joey as he ignored Tristan who was groaning and rubbing the sore spot "Or are ya gonna work less hours?"

"I'm only going to work after school" sighed Tea with a disappointed look on her face as she remembered her new schedule "But it's going to be almost everyday"

"I know this is a hard time for you Tea" said Yugi as he gently took Tea's hand and held it in his own "But if you need anything, I want you to know you can count on me"

Joey also nodded his head in agreement and said that she could count on him for anything. Serenity agreed with her big brother and was more than happy to help Tea however they could. Even Tristan said that Tea could count on him for absolutely anything. The only thing he asked for in return was for her not to kick him in the butt anymore. As Tea heard what her friends were saying she had mixed feelings. She felt awful for lying to them and not telling the truth, but at the same time she was happy to know they cared about her so much. _I'm lucky to have such wonderful people in my life..._

**Monday Morning**

"Dammit Varon will you leave me alone?" snapped Amelda as he nearly threw the laptop on his desk straight at Varon's head "I'm not afraid to hurt you!"

Amelda was usually moody, but today he was in the worst mood ever. He had spent all of the previous day locked in his room with no desire to be bothered whatsoever. Luckily for him the apartment was very quiet since Varon spent the entire day elsewhere. Unfortunately when Monday rolled around he had no choice but to get up and face the world. Varon on the other hand was in such a cheerful mood that it was kind of scary. He had woken up in such a good mood the previous morning that he decided to go down to the beach. His good mood had rolled over to this day and it was irritating Amelda to no end.

"Lighten up sheila!" said Varon happily as he jumped up onto Amelda's desk and swung his legs in a carefree manner "Life's too short to be angry! Right Raph?"

"Raph?"

_"Those assassins may have been a dream" _thought Raphael as he stared out the window at the Obsidian Inc building_"But I still think that woman knows something"_

So far Mr. Anderson was still unconscious thanks to the unknown substance in his bloodstream. What concerned Raphael though was something Dr. De Winters told him early that morning. Despite having this substance in his blood, Mr. Anderson appeared to be struggling against it. He would sometimes involuntarily move his limbs and there were also frequent changes in his breathing pattern. This was completely different from the other man Dr. DeWinters had seen since. That man showed absolutely no signs of life up til the day he died. Suddenly Raphael felt a light tap on his shoulder and when he looked up he found Varon looking down at him.

"You're thinking about that woman aren't ya mate?" asked Varon as he looked down at Raphael with a concerned look in his sky blue eyes "Or about that call from the doctor?"

"He's struggling to stay alive as we speak.." said Raphael in a soft tone of voice as he lowered his head a bit and looked at his hands "I just wish there was something else I could do for him"

"But you've done everything you can mate!" said Varon as he jumped up on the edge of Raphael's desk and looked out the window at the obelisk in the distance "Besides maybe the reason he's struggling is because he's going to pull through"

"I hope you're right" said Raphael as he let out a sigh and glanced up at the young man sitting on his desk "But I won't feel any better until that happens"

_"Stupid Varon..." _thought Amelda as he typed as quickly as possible while Varon and Raphael spoke _"It's days like these that make me wish I lived alone"_

Not only was Amelda forced to endure Varon's cheerfulness at work, but he knew it would be the same once they got home. The only good thing was that Varon was currently distracted which gave Amelda time to catch up on his work. In fact Amelda had been so focused on his work that he failed to notice that the office door was slightly open. Usually he would have been the first one to see this since his desk was close to the door. Now not only had he failed to notice this, but he failed to notice the eavesdropper as well...

_"So he's still alive and he's struggling against the venom?" _thought Constantina who had just heard absolutely everything Raphael and Varon said _"I must stop this right away!"_

Constantina immediately moved away from the door and snuck away before anyone realized she was there. If any of them knew what she had just heard, her plans would be completely ruined. _I must do this before it's too late..._

"So Joey took you to a party?" asked Mokuba as he and Serenity left their health class and walked down the hallway "Is that the surprise he was talking about?"

Mokuba had a pretty good Saturday night, but it would have been better if Serenity had come over. Then again he couldn't complain since he actually got a few hours without anyone to boss him around. Then again it probably would have been alot better if Seto had stayed until the end of the party. Luckily Seto wasn't in as bad as mood as usual despite being sent to a party against his well. In fact he was actually in quite a good mood when he came to wish Mokuba goodnight. When Monday rolled around, Mokuba was dying to know how Serenity had spent her Saturday night.

"Actually it's not where he planned to take me" said Serenity as she glanced up at Mokuba as they passed lots of other students "We only went because Mai invited us"

"Mai? Mai Valentine?" said Mokuba who was surprised to hear about the stylish female duelist after so long "So it was Mai's party you guys went to?"

"No, what I meant is that she invited us to a party" said Serenity as they both stopped walking since she was approaching her history class "It was a party at Azure Inc"

"At Azure Inc?" said Mokuba in disbelief since he never expected to hear that she had gone there "But that's the same party Seto went to"

"I know...I saw him there" said Serenity as she tried to hide the involuntary blush that appeared on her cheeks by glancing at her watch "Listen I'll tell you more later okay?"

With that Serenity quickly went into the classroom and left Mokuba standing there in the hallway. Mokuba was surprised to hear that Seto and Serenity had been in the same place on Saturday. He began to wonder whether Seto had seen Serenity as well since she had apparently seen him. If he had, did he see Joey as well? If he did, had he said something to humiliate him? After all Seto wasn't the type of person to be in a good mood for no reason. Then again maybe he was just jumping to conclusions and Seto didn't even see them. Maybe Seto had actually met a woman and that's why he was in a good mood. Then again knowing Seto, he had probably sat in one spot without speaking to anyone the entire time. _So what put him in such a good mood? Hmm..._

"Hey you'll never guess what happened to me!" said Alex cheerfully as he sat down beside Tea as their classroom began to fill up "Come on take a guess!"

Tea was still feeling pretty depressed and today she woke up feeling even worse. Right when school ended, she was going to have to go straight to "Von Schroeder's". She wasn't going to have any time to do homework since she was scheduled to work til 9pm. Even then she was probably going to be too tired, too cranky, and too hungry to do it. She didn't want anyone at school to know how she felt though, so she quickly tried to hide it. She didn't do a good enough job though...

"Hey what's wrong?" asked Alex as his perpetual smile quickly vanished from his face when he noticed the look on her face "You look really upset right now"

"Oh I'm just nervous" lied Tea as she forced herself to smile in a feeble attempt to better conceal her feelings "I'm starting a new job at "Von Schroeder's" today"

"You're going to work at "Von Schroder's"?" asked Alex as he blinked for a moment before smiling at her once again "Hey my sister used to work there before she got a job with...well you know"

Alex's good mood was contagious, so before long Tea was laughing as well. Suddenly Tea remembered that he had just vanished on Saturday, so she asked him about it. He told her how Arielle kicked him and dragged him off while Stan distracted her. Luckily she didn't get very far since Constantina happened to walk by dragging Stan along with her. Constantina stopped her and began to talk to her, which gave him time to get away. The best part was that he didn't see her again for the rest of the night.

"I'm guessing that's what happened to you right?" said Tea as she remembered that Alex had wanted her to guess something "You managed to get away from that psycho"

"Actually..." said Alex as his cheeks suddenly began to turn a very bright shade of red as he looked at her "I kinda managed to remember what I dreamt about for once"

"What?" said Tea with a look of amusement and disbelief since she had often teased him about his inability to recall dreams "I'm guessing it was a good dream by the way you're blushing"

The moment she said this Alex's entire face turned completely red. He was so embarassed that he wasn't so sure he wanted to tell Tea about his dream for fear that she'd laugh. He was also afraid that she might take it in the wrong way and think he was a pervert. She promised that she wouldn't laugh and that nothing could compare to her weird dreams. Alex felt a little better so he reluctantly told her that he had dreamt about her. All he knew was that he saw her, but he couldn't remember anything else.Tea crossed her arms and jokingly told him that he had 24 hours to get her out of his dreams. They both laughed and he told her that he'd try but he couldn't make any promises.

_"I'm home!" cried Odysseus as he opened the front door and removed his trenchcoat "Are you here my angel?". At that moment there was a sound at the top of the stairs so he looked up and saw a woman. She was very beautiful and had long shiny auburn hair and pale green eyes."Shhh!" said the woman as she slowly tiptoed down the stairs "I just put the baby to bed". When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she greeted him with a very passionate kiss. "I love you so much" said Odysseus as he stroked his wife's hair "So I'm not sure how to tell you-". "Wait! First I've got something for you!" exclaimed the woman as she pulled something out of one of her pockets "I got a set for you and one for myself!". She then handed it to Odysseus whose face lit up when he saw that she had given him three pictures. "This is you and me on our wedding day" said Odysseus as he smiled at the pictures "And one of you the day our little angel was born". "I think you'll like the last picture the most" said the woman as she smiled at him "I already framed mine". "Our little angel!" exclaimed Odysseus as his blue eyes filled with joy when he saw it "Our sweet precious child". As Odysseus looked down at these pictures, he knew he had to tell his wife the truth. "My angel" said Odysseus as he looked at his wife who oddly enough cringed when he called her this "I-I've left my job". The woman looked stunned for a moment but her expression quickly changed. "I'm glad you did Odysseus" said the woman as she looked up at him "You deserve to work in a better place than Obsidian Inc". "I don't want you to worry about a thing though" said Odysseus who couldn't believe how well his wife took the news "First thing tomorrow morning I'm going to apply for a job at Azure Inc". At that moment the doorbell rang so Odysseus went, opened up the door, and found two policemen there. "Excuse me" said one of the policemen as he looked at the man in front of him "But does a man named Odysseus live here?". "Yes I'm Odysseus" said Odysseus who didn't understand why they were here "But what does this-". "You have the right to remain silent" said the policeman as they stepped forward and handcuffed him "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law". "Wait!" shouted the woman who didn't know why her husband was being arrested "There has to be a mistake!". She tried to follow the policemen but as they dragged Odysseus off, but was restrained until they got him into the police cruiser. "NO!" screamed the woman at the top of her lungs as she saw the policemen drive off with her husband "ODYSSEUS!"._

"Huh?" exclaimed Amelda as jumped up so quickly that he fell out of his desk chair and onto the ground "W-What the Hell was that dream about?"

Somewhere between the typing and the lack of Varon constantly pestering him, Amelda's brain decided something. It decided that Amelda was going to drop everything and take a nap whether he wanted to or not. So Amelda simply toppled over onto his laptop and was out like a light. For the first hour, no one had even noticed it. It was only until Raphael asked him something, that they realized he was asleep at his desk. Varon just burst into laughter and wanted to wake him up, but Raphael told him to just leave him alone. _I'll pretend I didn't know because he'd never forgive me if he knew that I let him sleep on the job..._

"Did ya have a nice nap Sleeping Beauty?" chuckled Varon as he glanced over at Amelda as he quickly got back on his chair "Or do ya want to go back to sleep and wait for your prince?"

"Shut the Hell up Varon!"

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to all the people who reviewed my last chapter! Oh and if anyone was wondering, yes Varon and Serenity are at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (TM).Hey I'm glad the last chapter cheered you up Soba! Don't worry, Freshman year gets better as the months go by. Hanging out with upperclassmen usually helps too if you know any. Anyways if you're reading this I'm sure your head hurts from all the reading. Well as usual more OOC warnings for the next chapter! So hugs and kisses people:) throws chocolates


	14. The Deviant One

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**The Deviant One**

_"I can't believe that you're actually struggling against a venom this powerful" _thought Constantina as she looked at the unconscious twitching man lying in front of her _"You must have more lives than a cat"_

Even though everyone at Azure Inc knew that Mr. Anderson had been hospitalized, nobody really knew why. Some assumed that perhaps he had been in some sort of accident, but only Raphael and his two assistants knew the truth. So the moment Constantina overheard Raphael's conversation, she realized she didn't have a moment to lose. So after making a quick stop at her house, she immediately set out for the hospital. Once she got there though she realized that she had no idea where Mr. Anderson was. That wasn't a problem though since money had a funny way of making people talk. So after bribing an orderly, Constantina was led right to where Mr. Anderson was staying. It was quite a disturbing sight since the poor man was on a respirator and his limbs were twitching violently.

_"I know you're suffering right now dear Ulysseus" _thought Constantina as she opened her purse and put her hand inside to retrieve something _"But soon your suffering will be over"_

When Constantina took her hand out of her purse, she was holding a small vial and a syringe. The vial was filled with a strange lavender substance and it was what she had stopped at home for. Constantina then walked over to Mr. Anderson, took his arm, and began to search for a vein. After all the injection wouldn't be effective if it didn't go directly into his bloodstream. After a few seconds she found a vein very close to his elbow so the time had finally come. She filled the syringe with the liquid, tapped it a few times, and inserted it into Mr. Anderson's arm.

_"You should have known better" _thought Constantina as she looked at Mr. Anderson momentarily while administering the injection _"Anyone that angers The Viper ends up-"_

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Constantina immediately spun around and found herself face to face with a nurse. The nurse had been sent by Dr. DeWinters to check Mr. Anderson's vital signs for any kind of improvement. Instead she found a strange woman administering an injection to the unconscious patient. Constantina knew she had been caught and the only thing she could do now was run away. The nurse was about to scream but Constantina immediately knocked her down and ran as fast as she could. _No one can know I was here..._

"Hey why are you so happy today?" asked Tristan as he and Joey sat on a bench while killing time between classes "Are you thinking about lunchtime or what?"

"Yeah..but dat's not da reason dat I'm happy" said Joey with a huge grin on his face as he pulled a few strands of hair away from his brown eyes "I'm happy cause Mai's back again"

After attending the party on Saturday evening with Mai, Joey was as happy as could be. They spent the entire time talking and reminiscing about old times at Duelist Kingdom. Joey could never forget how Mai pretended to be a psychic at first, until he unmasked her. Then again, even without tricks Mai proved to be a great duelist. Mai on the other hand could never forget how Joey dueled to pay for Serenity's eye operation. It helped her see that under his tough guy exterior, Joey was sweet and unselfish. Things began to change though when they began to remember events in Battle City. Joey remembered how helpless and frustrated he felt when Yami Marik trapped Mai in the Shadowrealm. He wanted to get her back and was willing to go to any length to do so. Mai on the other hand remembered how she felt alone and abandoned in the Shadowrealm. Even after she was released from the Shadowrealm, these feelings lingered in her heart. These same feelings were what made it so easy for Varon to convince her to join the Doom Organization. Even though the Doom Organization was disbanded and everything went back to normal, guilt lingered in Mai's heart.

_"Joey I'm so sorry about all the trouble I caused" _echoed Mai's words in Joey's memory as he remembered their conversation _"It's just that Varon just didn't seem to get the message and-"_

_"Don't worry about it Mai" _said Joey as he looked right into Mai's beautiful yet sad violet eyes _"Dat's all in da past"_

_"I want you to know that I only thought of him as a friend" _said Mai as she tried to wipe away her tears without smearing her eye makeup _"Just that and nothing more"_

_"Dat doesn't matter anymore" _said Joey in a sincere tone of voice as he gently took one of her hands _"Da only thing dat matters to me is dat you're safe and dat you're back here in Domino"_

Mai was a strong woman and tried to hold her feelings, but Joey's words really got to her. All of her attempts so save her eye makeup were in vain since she began to shed tears. These weren't tears of pain and suffering though, they were tears of joy. For the longest time she wondered whether Joey cared about her. She figured that after the trouble she caused, Joey had done his best to forget her. Mai was sure that he had moved on with his life and that she was nothing more than a memory from the past. Now she was hearing that not only was concerned for her well being, but he was happy to have her back. Without any further thinking, they both leaned closer to each other and ended up kissing. The moment this happened, actions spoke far louder than words. _I feel like almost like dis was meant to be..._

"Mai..." sighed Joey happily with a huge grin on his face before realizing that Tristan was giving him weird looks "Uh yeah I'm glad cause Mai's back in town"

"Is that it? " asked Tristan since he had a feeling that Joey was lying to him "The last time I saw you this happy was when Serenity moved in with you"

"Speakin of Serenity" said Joey who knew that Tristan suspected something since he was a terrible liar "She's been actin kinda funny since dat party on Saturday"

"No she isn't!said Tristan since Serenity he had just seen Serenity the previous day She was the same always: sweet, lovely, and perfect!

While most people wouldn't have noticed anything strange about Serenity's behavior, Joey did. In fact he noticed this change immediately after they left the party. On the ride back home, Serenity was there physically but her mind was someplace else. Joey had never seen her act like this and couldn't figure it out. Mai on the other hand hinted that perhaps Serenity had met a boy at the party. After all she did wander off on her own for the entire night. Joey looked back at Serenity in the backseat right as she was sighed happily and realized that Mai could be right. But if she did meet someone, then who was it? Joey didn't want his little sister to end up falling for someone who could be a total jerk. The only consolation he had was that the guy wasn't Tristan or Duke, since neither one was at the party. Then again this guy could turn out to be someone even worse. Joey wouldn't be at ease until he knew the truth...

"_Hmph I can only imagine all the complaints this old man has about Mokuba" _thought Seto as he entered the room where his old health class used to be _"After all if he's not giving out detention then he's not happy"_

As important as Kaiba Corp was to Seto, nothing was more important than Mokuba. So when the day for parent/teacher conferences at Domino High came around, Seto took the day off. It was a little strange to come back to his old high school as a "parent" rather than a student. Everything turned out to be worthwhile though after he heard what all of the teachers had to say about Mokuba. Every single teacher Seto spoke to had nothing but the best to say about Mokuba. They all agreed that he was smart, responsible, and a very hard worker. Seto couldn't have been prouder of his little brother. _So it cancels out whatever this crazy old geezer has to say..._

Mr. Kaiba you should be very proud" said Mr. Foster as he looked down at a book that contained all of his students grades "Mokuba is one of my most brilliant students"

"I wouldn't expect less" said Seto who was actually quite surprised to hear this coming from his old health teacher "After all I expect him to go far in life"

Once Seto left Mr. Foster's room, he looked down at the list he had of Mokuba's teachers one last time. Mr. Foster had been the very last one on the list which meant that Seto was done. As he stood there in the empty hallway, Seto once again reflected on everything he had heard that day. Despite the misunderstanding they had earlier that year, Mokuba still managed to keep up with his work. He had proven that he was strong, determined, and not easily thrown off balance no matter how difficult things got. Mokuba had proven that he truly was destined for greatness and might one day take over Kaiba Corp. Seto couldn't have been happier at that moment. _I don't think anything could make this day any better..._

**SLAM!**

The sound of a locker slamming shut immediately broke Seto's train of thought. The moment he looked over, he realized that his day was indeed about to get better. There stood Serenity struggling to get what appeared to be an advanced algebra book into her backpack. Unfortunately it seemed the zipper was caught and she couldn't get it open. Seto looked at her for a moment and when he remembered Saturday night, an amused smirk appeared on his face. Serenity had run away from him that time, but would she do it again this time? There was only one way to find out.

_"Come on open up you stupid backpack!" _thought Serenity who was too busy struggling with her backpack to notice Seto "_Ugh! Why does this always happen when I'm already late for class?"_

"So is your backpack giving you trouble Wheeler?" asked Seto in an arrogant tone of voice as he walked up to Serenity "I guess that's what you get for owning such a cheap backpack"

"Kaiba?" said Serenity with a surprised look on her face as she looked up and found herself looking up at Seto "What are you doing here?"

As Seto looked down at Serenity, he noticed something immediately. Usually whenever he addressed Serenity she tended to blush and stutter a bit. This time she hadn't blushed and she didn't stutter at all. A part of Seto was amused since Serenity was finally acting fearless, yet disappointed because she was. There was also another part of him that didn't want her to feel intimidated by him. It was the part of him that realized that Serenity not only beautiful on the outside but the inside as well. It was also the same part that hadn't been able to get her out of his mind the remainder of the weekend.

"What do you think Wheeler?" asked Seto as he suddenly leaned a bit and stared directly into her warm brown eyes "Why would I be here?"

"Well..." said Serenity as her heart began to beat rapidly as she stared into those icy blue orbs "I'm guessing you're here for the parent/teacher conferences"

"It could be" said Seto as he continued staring into those beautiful amber-like eyes as intently as he could "Then again I might be here for another reason"

_"Why does this happen ever time?" _thought Serenity to herself as she felt her heartbeat increase even more and the blood starting to rush up to her cheeks _"Why am I feeling like this?"_

Serenity's mind and heart were in complete and utter turmoil at that moment and it was all because of two blue eyed young men. Seto Kaiba was the first and he was also the one that Serenity had known of the longest. He was absolutely handsome and had dark blue eyes like sapphires. Despite their beauty though, these eyes were cold, unfriendly, and seemingly cruel. Valon on the other hand was someone that Serenity had barely gotten to know recently. He was also very handsome and had sky blue eyes. These eyes were not only beautiful, they were warm, friendly, and very kind at the same time. These eyes and their owners were the complete opposite of each other. Despite these great differences though, Serenity liked them both.

"I've got to get going" said Serenity as she quickly moved away from Seto and turned her face in the opposite direction "I'm already late for math class"

Serenity then quickly walked off, but for some reason she stopped and looked back. When she did she saw Kaiba standing in the same spot, but his expression had changed. The amused cocky smirk he had been wearing had been replaced with an extremely serious look. The look on his face was almost as if though he was displeased for some reason. Either way she turned around and continued walking towards her class. As Seto looked at Serenity disappear into another hallway, his expression darkened. The change he noticed in Serenity was far too great to be a mere coincidence. Especially when he remembered the way she took off the last time he saw her. Something must have happened to her after afterwards...but what? _That's what I want to know..._

_"So much death and destruction happened there" _thought a lone auburn haired woman as gazed down at the remains of a city _"And so many innocent lives were lost"_

This city was one of many in a small and virtually unknown country. This country was a beautiful place with tall snow capped mountains, lush green forests, and crystal clear lakes. It was a very peaceful place to live until the war happened. The war was not only long, horrible, and pointless, but it was also the end of this particular city. Even after it ended, all of the inhabitants chose to move away and never return. So even though the natural beauty remained, the only thing left of this city was cold ghostly ruins and an air of death. _Something I know of all to well..._

"It must have been very beautiful" said the woman whose pale green eyes remained focused on the city "Before all of the pointless killing"

"Something that you know all to well" chuckled a short fat man with greasy black hair and a ratty looking moustache as he walked up to her "Isn't that right?"

Every single day that passed felt like another link in an unending chain of suffering. Suffering for which the woman could only blame herself and no one else. After all she was the one who chose to join a dark ruthless society led by an enigmatic leader. Unlike others who joined because of the money, she joined because of her urge to hurt people. Life had been cruel to her and she wanted to take it out on whoever she could. It was her cold personality, hatred, disregard for others, and natural stealth that soon led her to the top. She would now have the privilege of being their master's second in command. She had to share the spot though since there was another person who earned the same privilege. Just when she thought she had it all, someone came along and changed her life.

_"You..."_ thought the woman as a she felt a lump in her throat when she remembered the day that she met the person who changed her life _"You didn't deserve this"_

The young man was a kind and cheerful person who he had an entirely different outlook on life. He exactly the sort of person she hated and would take pleasure in killing. So she cornered her after he left the university he attended and pulled out a handgun. As she looked into her victim's innocent blue eyes, she realized something. What would she achieve through killing him? Nothing absolutely nothing. Her life would still be empty and it would remain this way until someone killed her. She immediately fell to her knees since she felt lost, frustrated, and all alone. Despite the fact that she nearly killed him, the young man actually consoled her. It was he who would help her realize that life did have much to offer. He was also the one that told her that they could have a life together. So she chose to abandon her society but the day she did this would mark the beginning of a new era. _An era filled with even more innocent people suffering because of me..._

"It's no wonder our master hand picked you" said the man as he gave a dark grin that spread across his entire face "You were the most brutal assassin our society ever saw...isn't that right Angel?"

"Don't call me that Claudius!" hissed the woman as she spun around and looked down at the man who immediately backed off "Because of me your "master" started using mind control serums on her top minions!"

"Well the master does need to make sure they're completely loyal" said the man in a cynical tone of voice as he looked up at the woman "It's the only way they'll never fall in love and run off"

The woman gave a disgusted look and stormed off since she didn't want to hear anymore. No matter where she went, this horrible, greasy, little toad Claudius would follow her and she was sick of it. At times she was even tempted to revert to her old ways and kill him once and for all, but she wouldn't do it. The thought of her true love was more than enough to keep her on the right path. Claudius just gave a sinister grin since he knew that his prescence bothered her. He had no choice though since his mission was to follow her and report back to his master.

"Hello?" said Raphael as he picked up the phone and realized that it was Dr. DeWinters "Is something wrong Dr. DeWinters?"

"Mr. Girard..." said Dr. DeWinters hesitently since he was honestly a little bit nervous at the moment "I'm not quite sure how tell you this..."

"What is it?" said Raphael as he immediately feared the worse by the sound of the doctor's voice "Did something happen? Tell me!"

"Well today we had a very strange incident" said Dr. DeWinters who felt even more nervous when he realized how agitated Raphael had gotten "You see..."

The doctor told Raphael that while one of the nurses was doing her rounds, she encountered a strange woman. Not just any strange woman, a strange woman giving Mr. Anderson an injection. Even though the woman managed to get away, the nurse had gotten a fairly good look at her. She was a middle aged woman with shoulder length black hair, glasses, and she was dressed in a black dress suit. The moment Raphael heard this, it felt as if though his heart had come to a complete stop. Before he could linger on these thoughts though, Dr. DeWinters finally got to the real reason he had called. Shortly after the mysterious woman ran off, Mr. Anderson woke up. Dr. DeWinters immediately performed a blood test, and the results stunned him. Whatever this woman had injected Mr. Anderson with was the antidote to the venom in his bloodstream.

"As difficult as this may be to believe" said Dr. DeWinters who was honestly still quite baffled what had occured that day "This woman just saved Mr. Anderson's life"

"I can't believe it" said Raphael who felt relief for the first time since Mr. Anderson was first hospitalized "Would it be alright to see him yet?"

"Yes it's perfectly alright Mr. Girard" said Dr. DeWinters as he pushed his glasses further back onto his nose "In fact Mr. Anderson was wondering about you"

"Then I'll be over there as soon as I can" said Raphael as he immediately began to search for his car keys before even hanging up "Goodbye"

"So..." said Varon who had been trying to overhear the conversation even though he was supposed to be filing away some papers "Is it good news or bad news mate?"

Raphael quickly informed Varon that the doctor had just given him the best news possible. Varon immediately realized that this meant that Mr. Anderson had woken up. Varon smiled since he had also been worried about the poor old man as well. When Raphael saw Varon smiling , he was almost regretted what he was about to say. It was something that was guaranteed to wipe the smile off of Varon's face. Unfortunately it was something he had to do...

"I don't know for how long I'll be gone" said Raphael as he began to walk towards the doors of his office "So Amelda I'm leaving you in charge of everything"

"Me?" asked Amelda who had been quietly sitting at his desk just typing away the entire time "Don't worry I'll make sure Varon doesn't break anything"

"WHAT? Don't leave him charge!" shouted Varon as his jaw dropped and his eyes opened wide in complete disbelief "He's gonna lock me out of the office as soon as you're gone!"

It seemed that all of Varon's begging and pleading was of no use since Raphael's mind was made up. He trusted Amelda and knew that he was going to do a good job running things while he was away. Once Raphael closed the door to his office, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. What if they started fighting and one really did lock the other out of the office? Sure it seemed silly but with those two a fight could break out at the drop of the hat. So Raphael bent down, picked up the doormat in front of his office, and placed a key underneath. _Just in case..._

**BUZZ!**

"What is it?"said Madame Cervantes as she pressed the button on her intercom "Has anyone brought any news?"

"Madame there is news" said Nightshade in her usual cold and monotone voice over the intercom " The deviant one has just made a move"

"I would expect no less from her" said Madame Cervantes with a laugh since the news was actually funny to her "But she's no fool since she knows what I'm capable of"

"Shall I send her a bouquet of flowers?" said Nightshade in her perpetually cold and lifeless voice

"That although fitting, would be a great insult to her" said Madame Cervantes with a cruel smile on her red lips "After all thanks to her I've acquired extremely valuable knowledge"

Madame Cervantes then turned around and stared out the window at all of downtown Domino. For a long time she had been thinking of a way to "thank" the deviant one. Now she had come up with a way that was not only fitting, but extremely painful as well. _And the key to it is the foolish one..._

**Several Hours Later**

_"This has got to be the most boring day of my life" _thought Tea as she sat on a stool behind a makeup counter _"I've just been sitting here for hours!"_

When Tea first arrived at "Von Schroeder's", she honestly didn't know what to expect. Luckily for her she was already wearing the "Von Schroeder's" uniform which consisted of a black dress suit, a pink silk scarf around her neck, some black pantyhose, and heels. The other women there were about to ask Tea where she had gotten her uniform but then they noticed that her nametag had "Amneris" written on it. They smiled and told Tea that her mother had just saved her from the boredom of being fitted for one. Unfortunately the uniform didn't save her from the boredom that went with working there. So far Tea had spent most of her time just playing with makeup testers, sniffing various perfumes, getting a headache, and playing with the makeup testers again. Didn't any people come to this department store? _I guess nothing's going to happen today..._

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" cried the short blonde haired woman, whose name was Anna, as she quickly stumbled into the makeup department "None of you are going to believe this!"

"What is it?" asked the tall curly haired brunette, whose name was Brenda, when she noticed the state her coworker was in "What's going on?"

"I was down in the shoe gallery" said Anna as she struggled to catch her breath which indicated she had been running "A-And the inspection just started!"

"What?" exclaimed Tea who couldn't believe that the infamous inspection happened to be on her first day at this place "Mrs. Von Schroeder is here?"

"Actually that's why I'm so worried" said Anna as she continued panting and dabbed her sweat off with a tissue "You see she didn't come this time, instead she sent-"

"Guten tag ladies" said a male voice that cut her off and immediately got everyone in the makeup department's attention "I think I'll begin the inspection by making sure everyone is present"

_"Oh my God..."_ thought Tea when she caught a glimpse of the person who had just come into their department _"I should have known"_

The person was none other than Siegfried Von Schroeder who was accompanied by his younger brother Leon. Siegfried belonged to an extremely wealthy family and was the current CEO of "Schroeder Corp". Along with "Schroeder Corp", the Von Schroeder family owned several upscale department stores. They were all called "Von Schroeder's" and they had been a present Mr. Von Schroeder gave to his wife. Unfortunately Mrs. Von Schroeder hadn't been feeling well enough to go out for the inspection. So Siegfried went in her place, but since he was busy with "Schroeder Corp" he decided to move the inspection date up a few weeks. Besides he figured this was better since it would allow him to see what really happened on a daily basis at the department store...

"So is everyone here Leon?" asked Siegfried as he turned back to look at his younger brother who a folder in his hands "Or is there anyone missing today?"

"Well everyone is here..." said Leon as he sheepishly looked at the women in front of him and then at the folder in his hands "But..."

The purple haired boy gestured for his older brother to come closer and he whispered something to him. Tea realized that it really had been a long time since she had seen either of the brothers, since Leon was alot taller. Despite his growth spurt though, Leon still looked almost like Tea remembered. Siegfried on the other hand looked exactly like she remembered. He still had long pink hair that was perfectly cared for and he was still dressed from head to toe in designer clothing. Tea could only wonder how many hours it took Siegfried to get ready in the morning. When Leon was done whispering to his brother, Siegfried turned around and looked at them. No one had been able to hear what Leon had said, so this made them even more nervous. Much to Tea's horror, Siegfried immediately walked over to her and held up a sheet of paper that contained her mother's picture and employee profile. _Oh crap..._

"I know very well that you're not Frau Gardner" said Siegfried as he held the paper in front of Tea's face while looking over at Anna "Why is this girl pretending to be her?"

"Uh...W-W-Well" stammered Anna who feared that Siegfried might have an explosive temper just like his mother had "Y-Y-You s-see M-Mr. Von Schroeder it's n-not w-what-"

"You're right..." said Tea as she looked up at Siegfried since he had completely misunderstood the situation "My name is Tea and Amneris is my mother"

"Tea?" said Leon who had been thinking the whole time that Tea looked slightly familiar for some reason "Hey remember me? It's been a really long time"

"I do remember you Leon" said Tea who despite her situation managed to force a smile onto her face and look over at Leon "It's really good to see you"

"Excuse me but we're not through here" said Siegfried as he looked right down at Tea with his green eyes "And just why were you impersonating your mother _Fraulein _Gardner?"

"I wasn't trying to impersonate my mother" said Tea as she looked up at Siegfried and decided to just come clean "I was trying to help her because..."

Tea told Siegfried that her mother had worked at "Von Schroeder's" for as long as she could remember. She was a good employee who always made it a point to be on time, especially since she worked every single day. The only strange habit her mother had was taking off on unexpected trips. Then again she wasn't doing anything wrong since she used her vacation time to take these trips. After all it was only fair since she earned that vacation time by working so many hours. So naturally Tea was shocked when she found out that despite her years of loyal service, she would be fired if she missed the inspection. She couldn't sit back and let it happen which is why she accepted to work at "Von Schroeder's" at least until her mother showed up. When Tea finished telling her story, Siegfried and Leon were just staring at her. She felt good that she had told them the truth, but if she was fired then there was nothing more she could do...

"So the only reason you took this job was to help your mom?" said Leon as he suddenly broke the silence as he glanced over at Tea and smiled "That was really sweet of you Tea"

"After all family is the most important thing any of us have" said Siegfried (much to everyone's surprise) as he pushed a strand of his long pink hair behind his ear "In light of the situation I think we can work something out..."

Much to Tea's relief, Siegfried told her that he wasn't going to fire her mother. In fact he'd be a fool to do so since Amneris was one of the hardest working employees in the entire store. He then told her that she was also welcome to stay and work for as long as she needed or wanted to. Oddly enough he added that she shouldn't hesitate to ask if she needed any other help. Leon nodded and smiled at Tea indicating that as weird as it seemed, Siegfried was serious. As soon as the Von Schroeder brothers left, everyone in the makeup department sighed with relief. After such a day they all agreed that the only thing to do at that point was go home and relax.

"Aww what's wrong with you mate?" asked Varon with a grin as he exited the parking lot at the Azure Inc building at the end of the day "Do you still have a headache?"

_"Another hour and I would have snapped!" _thought Amelda who felt as if though as if though his head was going to split in two at that moment "_I never want to be in charge again!"_

After Raphael left, Amelda was pretty sure it was going to be an good day. For one thing Varon was currently all the way across the room as opposed to sitting on his desk and bothering him. So with no interruptions he would easily be able to finish up all of his work, but that's when it began. First some weird guy named Rico showed up with a huge stack of paperwork he needed Raphael to sign. Amelda told him that Raphael wasn't there but he could leave it on the desk. Before Amelda even got a chance to continue his work, a redhead girl named Alexandria showed up and she too had paperwork. Once again Amelda told her to leave the paperwork on the desk. As soon as this girl was out the door, several of Raphael's corporate lawyers showed up. They too had paperwork and they too were told to leave it on the desk. Just when the coast seemed clear, the phone rang and it was Raphael. He called to let Amelda know that he was expecting some paperwork. Once Amelda acknowledged that it was there, Raphael asked him a favor. He wanted to know if he could read through and summarize it since he wouldn't be able to make it back that day. So Amelda had no choice but to spend the rest of the day reading the huge stack of paperwork and getting a headache. Even though he knew he was going to have a headache by the end of the day, he figured it would be because of Varon...

"Cheer up mate" said Varon as he made a right hand turn and headed down another street "At least you got to see what it's like at the top"

"Shut up" muttered Amelda as he closed his eyes for a moment and tried to ignore the fact that Varon was driving "The last thing I need right now is annoying chatter"

"Annoying chatter?" sputtered Varon in an indignant tone of voice as they were stopped by a red light "And just what are you-Hey is that who I think it is? Open your eyes mate!"

"Let me guess..." said Amelda who had a pretty good clue what Varon had seen despite the fact that his eyes were currently closed "A girl wearing something really short and trashy?"

"You know..." said Varon who was kind of annoyed that Amelda always had the need to be sarcastic "You could at least open your eyes first and see who I'm talking about"

Open his eyes? Why bother? Amelda knew that the moment he opened his eyes he was going to see some kind of bimbo. After all Varon had a huge weakness for them, as was evident by his crush on Mai. He did note that he had offended Varon by talking about whoever it was. Amelda wouldn't be surprised if he opened his eyes and found himself staring at Mai.

_"Well I'd might as well take a look" _thought Amelda as he turned his head towards the open window and slowly opened his grey eyes "_Otherwise he won't shut up for the-"_

Amelda wasn't even able to finish his thought when he finally saw the person Varon was referring to. There on the sidewalk stood the last person he wanted to see at that moment. Fortunately she hadn't noticed him or Varon since she was busy reading something._ Please let the light turn green already!_

_"I'm hardly going to have time to do my homework" _thought Tea as she looked down at a copy of her new work schedule _"But at least I'm glad that they let Mom keep her job"_

Although Tea was relieved that her mother had gotten to keep her job, she was also relieved about something else. "Von Schroeder's" paid far more than "Burger World" ever did so Tea wouldn't have to worry about paying the rent. It also looked like the days of eating nothing but soup, juice, and bread were a thing of the past. As she looked at her schedule, Tea was completely unaware that she was being watched. Even though Amelda was hoping she didn't see them, Varon had something else in mind.

"Hey Tea!" shouted Varon as he leaned right over Amelda and smiled cheerfully at Tea "How's it going sheila?"

"Huh?" said Tea as she looked up from her paper and was surprised to find herself looking at Varon "Oh hi Varon!"

_"Why is this happening?" _thought Amelda as he tried his best to slink down in his seat and make himself invisible _"Oh yeah...he took the car keys when I wasn't looking"_

"I didn't know you worked at this place" said Varon as he ignored Amelda's attempts to vanish into thin air "How long have you worked here?"

"Actually today was my first day" said Tea as she smiled at Varon as she pushed a strand of chocolate brown hair behind her ear "And it was the craziest day ever"

"So are you heading home right now?" asked Varon cheerfully as Amelda slid lower and lower in his seat "If you are then do you want us to give you a ride?"

The moment Varon said this, Tea knew exactly what he meant by "we". How could she forgotten that Varon lived with "him"? Surely enough there he was slouching down in the passenger seat. It was amazing how someone so tall could slink down so low in a feeble attempt to make himself invisible. What really amazed her was that he hadn't protested at the fact that Varon was talking to her. After all wasn't she just a "waste of time" as he had once said? Just seeing him so close to her made her feel angry, humiliated, and slightly disgusted. Amelda knew that she was looking at him, but he couldn't bear to look at her. After everything that had happened he was too hurt, too angry, and too confused to think properly. Then again he realized that he was behaving like a child, so he quickly straightened up. He then slowly turned his head and looked at the piece of paper in her hands before slowly his eyes up. Their eyes met for a moment before they both quickly ended up looking away.

"T-Thanks for the offer" lied Tea as felt her entire face burn and desperately longed to get away "But I'm going to visit a friend...Goodbye!"

Tea then quickly walked off and pretended that she was walking towards the opposite end of the street. As soon as they drove off and were out of sight, Tea brought a hand up to her forehead. Even though Tea had been feeling a mixture of anger and resentment towards Amelda, it changed the moment his eyes met hers. Now her heart was pounding, her knees felt weak, and she felt feverish.

_"No I can't feel this way" _thought Tea as she took a deep breath and felt her heartbeat increasing by the second _"But those eyes..."_

Those steel grey eyes were enough to throw Tea into another cycle of emotional turmoil. Amelda's eyes were very beautiful, but despite their beauty appeared to be cold and cruel most of the time. It seemed that they were a perfect mirror of Amelda's heart and soul...or were they? Now even if it had been for a split second, Tea saw something entirely different when she glanced at his eyes. Instead of the usual coldness, these same eyes were filled with various emotions. They seemed to hold a bit of anger, sadness, confusion, but mostly pain. The more she thought about it though, she realized that she had actually seen it before. His eyes had the exact same look to them the moment she discovered he was Alister.

_"But if his eyes had that look then" _thought Tea who at that point was beginning to hate herself for feeling this way _"Does it mean..."_

It seemed the more Tea tried to forget Amelda, the more she ended up falling in love with him. Even though she was sure he didn't love her, a part of her believed that he did. The more she dwelled on these thoughts the more pain she began to feel. What if he really did have feelings for her? But what if she was just getting her hopes up for nothing? After awhile she no longer knew what to think and slowly began the walk home...

_"No...I can't feel this way again" _thought Amelda as he felt a cool breeze blowing against his feverish face _"But those eyes..."_

Even though Amelda had headache, it was quickly replaced by a feverish feeling when he looked into Tea's eyes. Then again how could he forget all about those beautiful dark blue eyes that had captivated him all those nights? Even though they were as beautiful as he remembered, something was different about them. Normally Tea's eyes seemed to be filled with happiness no matter what, but this was no longer the case. Today her eyes held anger, resentment, frustration, sadness, and only a hint of happiness. What could have happened to make Tea feel this way?

_"Something must have happened" _thought Amelda as he raised his gaze and noticed the moon beginning to appear above some buildings _"Something really big"_

For a moment Amelda contemplated the thought that maybe it had something to do with Saturday night. After a few seconds he felt disgusted with how arrogant he was being. After all what made him think that she would actually spare a thought for him?

_"Now I'm being dilusional" _thought Amelda as he slowly lowered his gaze for a moment as he brought his hand up to his cheek _"I'm sure she has better things to think about"_

Now that he thought about it, Tea had just started a new job that day and she herself said it was a crazy day. After all dealing with customers at a department store was far worse than reading paperwork. Then again why was Tea working at "Von Schroeder's"? Could something possibly have happened and that's why she was working there? After all "Von Schroeder's" was notorious for having trouble hiring anybody at all. Apparently it had something to do with the owner of the store being a complete tyrant. Usually the only people who worked at "Von Schroeder's" were those who were truly desperate for work. Even though there was something very strange about Tea's situation, these was one thing Amelda truly wondered about...

_"Her nametag" _thought Amelda as Varon changed lanes when they finally got close to Apricot Street _"Why did it have "Amneris" written on it?"_

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to the people who read and reviewed my last chapter! Anyways sorry for the confusion for the whole chapter thing. Once in awhile I will put two chapters up at the same time. Most of the time I just can't do that(Lets have a hand for: Calculus!). Anyways as always more OOCness warnings for the next chapter! So hugs and kisses people! tosses chocolates


	15. Snake Among The Flowers

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, any of the characters, or Banana Republic so don't sue me:D

**Snake Among The Flowers**

_"Why was I arrested?" thought Odysseus as he sat alone in a large room with only a small table "I don't understand". Several hours had passed since Odysseus was arrested and taken to the police station. He knew he hadn't done anything, yet no one would tell him exactly why he was arrested. A few minutes later, the door opened up and a middle aged man holding a briefcase entered. "Good evening I'm Ulysses Anderson" said the man as he extended his hand to Odysseus "I'm the attorney your wife hired to represent you". "This is all a misunderstanding Mr. Anderson" said Odysseus since he didn't understand why he needed a lawyer "Why am I even here?". Odysseus had absolutely no idea how serious the situation was, but Mr. Anderson filled him in. Several hours before, five chemists were found dead at Obsidian Inc. There were several suspects and Odysseus was among them.The police were still currently investigating though, so there were no further details. "What?" exclaimed Odysseus with a complete look of shock on his face "But I'm innocent!". Mr. Anderson told Odysseus to calm down since at this point he was still just a suspect. In fact he could end up being ruled out after the police finished their investigation. Odysseus let out a sigh and slowly withdrew the three pictures his wife had given him. "I hope you're right" said Odysseus as he looked at the picture of his wife and child "I want to be back with my angels"._

"Oh!" exclaimed Tea as her eyes snapped open and she realized that she was lying facedown on the couch "I must have fallen asleep..."

Tea didn't think she'd end up regretting turning down Varon's offer for a ride, but it happened.The walk back home from "Von Schroeder's" was far worse than she could have imagined. First of all Tea ended up stumbling in her high heels, falling on her face, and tearing her pantyhose. Once she got back up, she discovered that the heel of her shoe was now broken. So Tea ended up having to walk all the way back home without any shoes on. When she finally got home, she was so exhausted that she just flopped down on the couch in order to rest. _I didn't count on falling asleep though..._

"That dream...it's a new one" said Tea as she slowly sat up and turned on a lamp that was on a table next to the couch "But it's still about Odysseus"

The more Tea thought about this dream, the uneasier she began to feel. Every single dream Tea had about this man was a piece of a much larger story. A story that seemed to grow more and more sinister. So far she knew that the woman in black was threatening Odysseus because he refused to give up his serum. In fact he went far enough as to destroy the serum to keep her from getting it. The woman was furious but she took what little serum was left on the ground. Whatever this stuff was, it was definitely something very rare and very powerful. At least that's the impression the woman gave when as she berated her top chemists after discovering that a novice had accomplished what they had been trying to do for years.

"Wait...there were five chemists with her" said Tea as she continued trying to put all of her dreams into the proper order "Can it be?"

After this woman gathered up what remained of the serum, she returned to her office. Oddly enough she called her chemists back in even after being mad them. The unusual thing was that even though the serum was destroyed, she was in quite a good mood. She was in such a good mood in fact that she even offered them champagne. This champagne was the last thing they tasted because none of them would leave the office alive. It was more than obvious that this woman poisoned them, but why was Odysseus a suspect?

"_It doesn't make sense though_" thought Tea as she put her hand on her chin and furrowed her eyebrows a bit "_I mean what did he-The serum!_"

Could it be that this woman poisoned them with the serum? After all else would such a wealthy looking woman get down on all fours and scrape up what was left of it? Then again she could just be trying to get what little she could in order to try to figure out how it was made. Or did this woman use that serum in a sick attempt to get revenge somehow? Tea began to feel very upset at the thought, but she realized that it was kind of pointless. After all she didn't even know if any of the people in her dreams even existed. _Besides I've got bigger problems..._

_"Why can't I get him out of my head?" _thought Tea as she slowly stood up and headed into her bedroom _"Why?"_

Tea's bedroom was completely dark except for the moonlight that came in through her bedroom window. Tea immediately went over, drew back the curtains, and gazed up at the night sky. The sky was filled with thousands of stars and the moon was just a small grey crescent among them. As Tea looked up at the moon, she couldn't help but wonder. How had Amelda managed to find his way into her dreams in the first place? It was absolutely the most mysterious thing that had ever happened to her. Then again he himself was one big mystery. _A mystery I'll probably never solve..._

"Unhh..." groaned Amelda as he slowly opened his eyes and realized that he was currently lying facedown his bed "Did I fall asleep?"

Once they got home, Amelda immediately went into his bedroom and threw himself on the bed. He was tired and the only thing he wanted to do was relax and forget about his day. It seemed he got a little too relaxed since before he knew it he was fast asleep. Varon on the other hand was happily sitting on the couch watching his favorite talk show(complete with fighting). In fact it was his boisterous laughter that snapped Amelda from his dreams and back into reality. _If I weren't so tired I'd go out there and gag him..._

"_Why did I just have another weird dream?_" thought Amelda as he slowly sat up on his bed and yawned a bit "_That's the second weird dream I've had today_"

When Amelda had the first dream in Raphael's office, he didn't really think about it. After all the only thing he could do was think of how embarassed he was about falling asleep on the job. That and the fact that he had fallen very behind with all of his daily taks. Then Raphael decided to leave him alone, which left him with even less time to think. So now that he was finally home, he was finally able to think of the first dream. It started out fairly normal with some man coming home, but that was about it. For some reason the police showed up, arrested the man, and dragged him off while his wife screamed in anguish. It was a dream that Amelda would have dismissed as nonsense, but then he thought about the second dream...

_"What is this?"_ thought Amelda as he slowly stood up and opened up his bedroom window

The second dream was the one that truly got Amelda's attention and for several reasons. First of all it started off with the same man whose name was obviously Odysseus. Second of all it seemed like Odysseus was in prison and the appearance of the lawyer confirmed this. The thing that got to Amelda was that the lawyer had the same name as Raphael's lawyer. In fact the Ulysses Anderson in the dream looked quite a bit like Mr. Anderson, although he was fairly younger. Then again the reason for this could because Mr. Anderson was on his mind. Especially since he had finally woken up despite the doctor's dire predictions. _But then how do I explain that other man?_

_"It could be my mind playing tricks on me" _thought Amelda as he looked out the window and down at the street light and black metal bench _"After all it wouldn't be the first time..."_

Every time Amelda looked down at the bench, he couldn't help but be reminded of the lady in black. She was just the silent faceless spectre that haunted his dreams night after night. The lady in black didn't stay a mystery for long and was soon revealed to be Tea Gardner. Just because her identity had been revealed didn't mean that she stopped haunting him. Soon she appeared not only in his dreams, but in his thoughts as well. It seemed wherever he turned, he couldn't escape from her. He slowly raised his gaze up from the cruel reminder and looked up at the moon. _After all I have to remember that I'd only bring her bad luck..._

"I still can't believe it!" said Mr. Anderson as he lay in his bed with Raphael sitting beside him "Never in all my years as a lawyer have I missed this much work"

Even though Raphael knew that Mr. Anderson was awake, he expected him to be very weak and tired. So he was in for a big surprise when he found Mr. Anderson walking around the room. Mr. Anderson had just become aware of just how long he had been unconscious and couldn't believe it. The only thing on his mind was whether or not the other corporate lawyers had sent Raphael the end of the year paperwork. The nurse in the room tried to calm him down and get him back into bed, but he refused. He said that he wasn't going to rest until he was sure that the other lawyers had done their job. So when Raphael came in, he put Mr. Anderson's mind at ease and the nurse finally got him back in bed.

"Well I'm relieved to hear that the others were punctual" said Mr. Anderson with a relieved smile as he looked over at Raphael "Although I'm still terribly sorry about being away for so long"

"That doesn't matter at all" said Raphael with a relieved smile as he looked over at the old man he had worried about for so long "The only thing that matters is that you're awake"

"You know...when that woman attacked me" said Mr. Anderson as he gently rubbed the spot on his neck that now had four scars on it "I thought I would never see this world again"

The moment Mr. Anderson said woman, Raphael immediately began to question him. Mr. Anderson told him that after he had finished talking to him, he heard a woman's voice and turned around. The woman had long dark hair, grey eyes, and she was dressed completely in black. He then told him about the strange razor sharp armored gloves she used to attack him. Although he knew who had sent this woman, he didn't want to tell Raphael. Although judging by the look on his face, it was almost as if though he knew...

"There's something I have to let you know" said Raphael after hearing Mr. Anderson's account of the attack "I went to see Madame Cervantes"

The moment Raphael said this, Mr. Anderson's eyes widened in shock. How on Earth could Raphael have possibly had the nerve to do such a foolish thing? Even though this woman had already hurt him by cheating him out of his father's company, she was capable of far worse. Of course Raphael didn't realize this, but Mr. Anderson was very uneasy.

"So is it true that I had some sort of strange substance in my blood? " said Mr. Anderson as he quickly tried to steer the conversation in another direction "And that some strange woman gave me an injection?"

"It's true and according to the doctor she saved you" said Raphael even though he still had what Mr. Anderson had told him well in mind "The injection she gave you was the neutralized that substance"

"Well in that case I wish I could thank her" said Mr. Anderson as he smiled and gently pushed his glasses back on his nose "After all if it wasn't for her, I'd probably never be able to get back to work"

Raphael was happy to see that Mr. Anderson was alright and in good spirits. It was amazing to see just how dedicated Mr. Anderson truly was to his job. In fact it seemed like he'd leave the hospital at that moment and go right back to work if he could. He'd have to wait a few more weeks though since the doctor wanted to keep him under observation. The only thing that didn't make Raphael happy was a realization that he had just made. What he once mistook as a dream was actually reality. The female assassin Mr. Anderson described matched the description of one of the assassins Raphael saw in his "dream". The fact that they both wore armored gloves couldn't be a simple coincidence. It also couldn't be a coincidence that these women appeared right when Mr. Anderson revealed information about Madame Cervantes and when Raphael went to see her.

_"There's no doubt about it" _thought Raphael as he finally exited Mr. Anderson's room and began to walk down the hallway _"Madame Cervantes has to be The Viper"_

Even if this woman was The Viper, Raphael wasn't afraid of her. Although he did fear that she might try to harm Mr. Anderson again if she found out he was alright. Then again the only reason he was awake was thanks to a woman who he was almost certain was Constantina. Then again how could Constantina have gotten her hands on or even known about the antidote? It was true that this woman looked like Madame Cervantes, but was there actually a connection? Whenever Varon and Amelda claimed there was, he dismissed it as pure nonsense. Now he wasn't so sure about it, but the entire situation made no sense. If Constantina did work for The Viper, then why did she save Mr. Anderson? _Then again maybe I'm wrong and it's not even her after all..._

"Nurse?" said Mr. Anderson as the nurse came into his room in order to give him his medication "I was wondering if it would be possible to see someone else?"

"I'm sorry" said the nurse as she placed two pills into a tiny paper cup and handed them to Mr. Anderson "But there's no visitors allowed after 8pm"

"No not today of course" said Mr. Anderson as he looked down a the pills in the paper cup in his hand "Besides she wouldn't be able to come until Saturday"

**Saturday**

_"I hope Tea's feeling better" _thought Alex who was carrying a huge stack of books as he walked towards Apricot St. _"She's been so upset this entire week"_

Ever since Tea began to work at "Von Schroeder's", she seemed pretty miserable. Even though the pay was great, the hours were long and there job was really pretty slow. Whenever a customer did come by, it was usually one of the other women who helped them. After all they had been around the products for years and were good at doing makeup. Since she was new though, Tea didn't really get to have such fun. Instead she spent her time organizing displays, putting out testers, and offering perfume samples. After work was over, she would end up getting home until 9pm and would stay up til 1am doing homework.

_"I guess I can't blame her" _thought Alex as he finally reached the park and began to walk on the grass _"She never saw any of this coming"_

To make matters worse, Tea hadn't even been able to start on a research paper her history teacher had assigned that week. Then again how could she? She didn't have time to go to the library. Luckily Tea had Saturday off, so Alex promised to help her with her paper. After all he had already finished his paper and no longer had any use for the books he had check out. As Alex walked through the park he couldn't help but notice just how many kids were in the park. Then again it was Saturday after all and it was their day to play and have fun. Alex then noticed some kids playing soccer so he began to walk more cautiously. After all he hadn't forgotten his last encounter with a soccer ball. Just when he thought he was safe, something hit him and knocked the books out of his arms. When he looked down he saw a soccer ball lying among his scattered books. _Well it's official: I'm a magnet for soccer balls..._

"Sorry about that!" shouted one of the kids who had been playing soccer before their ball got away "Can we please get our ball back?"

"It's okay!" said Alex who was honestly more embarassed at the fact that he had once again been struck by a soccer ball "Uh..yeah here you go"

Alex reluctantly looked down for a moment and looked at the soccer ball in front of him. The kids were kind of far away so the only way to get the ball back to them meant that he'd have to kick it. Well it looked like he was going to be embarassed yet again since he had never even kicked a soccer ball. Alex was almost certain that as soon as he kicked the ball he'd fall down in the process. Then again he was probably keeping the kids from their game, so did his best and kicked the ball. The moment he did this, the ball sailed high into the air and game to a graceful landing over near the kids.

"Whoa!"

"I did it?" said Alex as he blinked in confusion for a moment before going back to his usual cheerful smile "And I didn't even fall down!"

"That was so cool!" cried a black haired boy as and all of the other kids ran up to where Alex was standing "I've never seen anyone kick like that!"

"Yes you have!" cried a pink haired girl as she slapped the black haired boy on the back of the head "Amelda can kick like that too!"

"Oww!" cried the black haired boy with an annoyed look as he rubbed the back of his head "Well he's not here right now..."

"That was really cool though" said a blue haired boy as he looked straight up at Alex "Do you want to play with us?"

"Well I'd like to..." lied Alex who suddenly wasn't feeling so confident anymore "But I have to do something really important right now"

"Do what? Read all of those books?" asked the black haired boy as he looked at all of the books lying on the ground "Who reads on the weekend anyways?"

"Oh please play with us for a little while!" begged the pink haired girl as she looked up at Alex with pleading eyes "Pretty please?"

"Well..I don't really know how to play" said Alex who felt kind of stupid having to admit such a silly thing to these kids "So I'm sure you'd rather play with your friend since he's a really good player"

As soon as Alex said this, a look of sadness came across the kids faces. The kids then told him that they hadn't seen Amelda at all for the past week. Usually they'd see him at least once or twice and he'd gladly play with them. Now it seemed that he was either too busy or too tired to come around and play with them. Or maybe he had simply forgotten all about them. After seeing just how sad the kids truly were, there was no way Alex could refuse. It suddenly didn't matter whether he fell down or made a fool of himself. Alex accepted the kids offer and the moment he did, their faces immediately lit up. Alex once again warned them that he wasn't really that good but the kids didn't believe him since they were still impressed by him. The moment one of them kicked the ball to him, Alex was in for quite a surprise.

_"This is my first time actually playing" _thought Alex as he ran with the soccer ball and the kids chased after him _"But it feels so familiar for some reason..."_

"Wow you're just as awesome as Amelda!" squealed the pink haired girl who had nearly caught up to Alex at that moment "And you're cute like him too!"

Although the little girl said this because she had gotten a crush on Alex, there was some truth to it. Even though Alex figured that it was nothing more than beginner's luck, the kids never would have believed it. He was obviously a very good kicker, but he was also extremely fast and moved skillfully. It looked like Amelda had some serious new competition. The fact that Alex had actually taken time to play with them also earned him points in their book. They were all having such a good time that they completely failed to notice someone watching them from a nearby bench.

_"For a moment I thought I'd have to start my research paper" _thought Tea as she saw the redhead who now had the pink haired girl clinging to his leg _"But I guess not"_

Even though Tea was feeling pretty tired, she decided to go out and get a bit of fresh air. After all she was going to spend the remainder of her day reading books and writing her research paper. So Tea found a bench and had been watching the kids playing soccer even before Alex came by. Now that he had joined their game, she couldn't help but be reminded of Amelda yet again.

_"It's amazing how two people can look so much alike" _thought Tea as she watched Alex stop and try to pull his newfound admirer off his leg _"Yet be so different"_

Alex was always extremely cheerful and would almost always wear a smile on his face. He was nice, fun, and very caring since his father and sister were the two most important people in his life. Now as Tea watched him play, she realized that he was also kind hearted. After all not too many people would take time out of their schedule to play soccer with kids in the park. Amelda on the other hand was now a complete mystery. Even though he appeared to be a very cold and unfriendly person, he had good qualities. After all everybody had good qualities whether they chose to show them or not. _Although I'd never be able to picture him playing soccer with these kids..._

_"How can a pair of lime green pumps cost $100?" _thought Serenity as she held up a ridiculous looking shoe _"Especially since they're so silly looking"_

Serenity was just roaming around the mall, but there was a reason for it. Mokuba invited her to go see a movie with him at a theatre next to the mall. Since the theatre happened to be so close to the mall, Serenity decided to go there. After all it was one of her favorite places to go since there was always so much to see. What Serenity hadn't noticed was that someone was following her around.

_"This is the fifth shoe store she's been in" _thought Tristan as he quietly followed Serenity as she walked through the mall _"What is it with women and shoe stores?"_

Whenever Saturday rolled around, Tristan would go to the mall because he knew Serenity would be there. It was probably the only time that he was actually able to speak to her. Every other time he attempted to speak to her, he would end up getting pounded by a very pissed off Joey. On this day Tristan had spotted Serenity but he hadn't had a chance to make his move. After all how could he when she kept zooming in and out of shoe stores? After a few minutes Serenity walked towards Banana Republic and Tristan realized that this was his chance. Unfortunately he didn't count on one little thing...

"Serenity!" exclaimed Duke who happened to be exiting Banana Republic right as Serenity was going in "How have you been?"

"Oh hi Duke" said Serenity with a slightly surprised look on her face since she hadn't expected to run into Duke "I'm good and you?"

_"Devlin!" _thought Tristan as he growled and gritted his teeth at the sight of his old rival for Serenity's affection _"What's that pretty boy doing here?"_

Just the sight of Duke Devlin speaking to Serenity was enough to get Tristan fired up. After all Duke was good looking, had his own game shop, tons of fangirls, and even his own cheerleaders. Although Tristan knew that Duke had lots of things, he vowed never to let him have Serenity . After all he felt that Duke would never truly be able to appreciate just how special she actually was.

"It was really great seeing you Serenity" said Duke as he suddenly took Serenity's hand and kissed it "Take care"

"Uh it was nice seeing you too" said Serenity as she quickly pulled her hand away from him and ran off "See you later!"

Duke just gave a little smile since he absolutely adored the sight of Serenity. She was a really pretty and sweet girl who deserved to be treated like a princess. Once she was gone, Duke continued on his way. Luckily Tristan had been so busy fuming that he didn't see what Duke had done. Unfortunately he also hadn't noticed which Serenity had run off to. _Leave it to Devlin to ruin everything..._

"_I don't understand it_" thought Mokuba as he looked out the window of the black sedan that he was riding in _"Why is Seto acting like this?"_

Even though Mokuba was excited about going to meet Serenity, he couldn't help but wonder about his brother. Mokuba was probably the only person who Seto opened up to, but lately that was changing. Seto would come straight home, greet Mokuba, and then go straight into his bedroom. Normally Seto and Mokuba would talk for awhile, have dinner, talk some more, and then finally go to bed. Mokuba didn't really know what was going on but he could only assume that it had something to do with work. After all whenever he pressed his ear against Seto's door, he'd hear the rapid clicking of a keyboard.

_"At least I hope that's what it is" _thought Mokuba as all of the traffic on the street stopped to let a pedestrian cross _"After all-Can it be?"_

The moment Mokuba caught sight of the pedestrian, he couldn't believe his eyes. The person was a tall slender redhead clad in a black trenchcoat decorated with unusual looking buckles. There was only one person that Mokuba knew who looked like this and it was Amelda. For a long time Mokuba had wondered what had ever become of Amelda. The closest he had come to actually finding out was when he saw Amelda at the Azure Inc party. Even then Amelda vanished before he was actually able to speak to him. Now without further thinking, Mokuba jumped out of the car and immediately ran towards him.

_"Why do I keep having these dreams?" _thought Amelda as he finally made it to the end of the street and got onto the sidewalk _"Why can't I dream about anything else?"_

"Amelda!"

"_Huh?_" thought Amelda when he heard his name and noticed a raven haired teenager running towards him at that moment

"Hey Amelda" said Mokuba as he jumped up onto the sidewalk and gave a triumphant grin as he caught up to him "Remember me?"

Amelda looked at the teenager in front of him for a few seconds and was in disbelief. The boy was nearly his exact same height although he was probably no older than fourteen or fifteen. He had long messy raven black hair and blueish-violet colored eyes. There was only one person who Amelda knew who fit that description, but he was a young boy. Then again it had been about two years since he had last seen the Kaibas which meant that this teenager really was Mokuba. _Miruko would be a teenager too.._

"Mokuba" said Amelda as he looked at Mokuba with a mixture of anguish and disbelief in his grey eyes "It's been a long time"

"It has been a long time" said Mokuba as he smiled at the young man who had once been out to steal his brother's soul "But I'm really glad to see you"

"You're glad to see me?" said Amelda with a look of disbelief on his face since he couldn't believe what he was hearing "Even after all the trouble I caused?"

What Mokuba told Amelda at that moment was something he never would have imagined. Despite everything that Amelda had done, neither he nor Seto held a grudge against him. After all they knew first hand that Amelda was in reality an innocent person who had his life destroyed. While he believed that Gozaburo Kaiba had taken Miruko from him, Dartz was the true culprit. Even after everything went back to normal, the Kaibas never heard from Amelda ever again. Mokuba could only wonder what had happened to him but hoped that he was alright wherever he was. Mokuba then told him that he honestly was happy to see him and only wished him the best. With that he smiled at him, made his way back to the car, and was soon back on his way to the theatre. As Amelda watched Mokuba leave, he just stood there deep in thought. Although it was nice to see Mokuba and know that he had forgiven him, it was also painful. He envied Seto Kaiba since he had a little brother who loved him and looked up to him. _You have something that was taken from me and that I'll never have again..._

"Y-You actually wanted to see me?" asked Constantina as she slowly opened the door to Mr. Anderson's room and peered inside "Or has there been a misunderstanding?"

"It's no misunderstanding" said Mr. Anderson as he motioned for Constantina to come into the room "I've been dying to speak to you all week"

Constantina wasn't sure what was going on but she decided to go along with it anyways. She pushed the door open, quickly went into the room, and closed the door as quickly as she could. It was only then that Mr. Anderson noticed that she had traded her trademark black clothing for red ones instead. Her dress was quite ordinary looking but the hat she was wearing made it look as if though she had a red fur ball sitting atop her head. _If this is her attempt to go undercover she's doing a terrible job..._

"You've been dying to speak to me?" said Constantina with a puzzled look on her face as she slowly approached Mr. Anderson "But why?"

"Because I wanted to thank you" said Mr. Anderson with an appreciative smile on his face as he looked up at her "After you were the one who saved my life"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about" blurted Constantina in complete in utter disbelief at what Mr. Anderson had just said "You must be mistaken dahling!"

"You're not fooling anyone Constantina" said Mr. Anderson as he looked straight at the woman who was getting unusually pale "Or should I say..."

The moment Mr. Anderson uttered the name, Constantina looked as if though she had seen a ghost. Even though the woman was known as "Constantina", it wasn't her real name. For many years she had kept her real name a secret and preferred to use her pseudonym. Mr. Anderson then he knew that he knew there was something unusual about her. So he took the liberty of investigating her and found that all of the information about her only went back twenty years or so. This only intrigued him more so he continued searching. After months of research, an informant brought him the information he had been searching for. Now he knew that the strange and ditzy "Constantina" was nothing more than a character. A character meant to conceal a woman who was not only a genius, but a brilliant chemist as well. She couldn't risk having anyone else find out, so there was only one thing she could bring herself do...

"Oh please don't tell Raphael!" cried Constantina as she threw herself on her knees and crawled towards Mr. Anderson "You don't understand!"

"If I wanted to tell him I would have done so already" said Mr. Anderson as he looked at the woman on the ground in front of him "But I didn't do it for a reason"

"What reason?" said Constantina with a look of complete dispair on her face at that moment "So you can publicly unmask me in front of him and everyone else?"

"No..." said Mr. Anderson as he slowly narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow "I didn't do it because I realized something"

"What?" said Constantina who was so freaked out at that moment that she didn't know what to think "What did you realize?"

"Before I go on there's something you must know" said Mr. Anderson as he pointed out of a nearby window at the black obelisk in the distance "Raphael went and confronted her"

"What?" exclaimed Constantina as she suddenly jumped up when she heard this "Is he completely out of his mind?"

"No" said Mr. Anderson as he turned his attention away from the window and back to the woman "But now I can get to the real reason I didn't tell him about you"

"What is it?" said Constantina as she dangerously narrowed her eyes since she didn't know what he had to say "Tell me already!"

"The fact that you're at Azure proves that you and I want the same thing for Raphael" said Mr. Anderson as he brought one of his hands up to his chin and chuckled "So why not work together to achieve this goal?"

"It would make alot of sense" said Constantina as she slowly stood up and faced away from him for a moment "After all two of us stand a far greater chance"

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to the people who reviewed the last chapter! You guys are the best! Well I don't know what to say right now beside more OOC warnings for the next chapter. Hugs and kisses people! (tosses chocolates) :)


	16. Inferno

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Inferno**

_"I'm so tired right now..." _thought Tea as she and everyone else in Ms. Esmeralda's class did the same dance routine _"But I have to keep going no matter what"_

Several weeks had passed since Tea had started working at "Von Schroeder's" but things were still looking bleak. The hours Tea worked were extremely long which resulted in her having to stay up late to do homework. To make matters worse she had just been informed that everyone would be working extra hours since the holiday season was approaching. As if that wasn't bad enough, Tea still had absolutely no news about her mother. At this point she could only begin to fear the worst since her mother would've at least sent her a letter at that point.

_"Please be alright Mom" _thought Tea as she gracefully twirled around before tilting her head back, raising her arm, and coming to a stop _"You may be apathetic towards me but I still love you"_

"Excellent class!" said Ms. Esmeralda as she applauded the moment that the class finished the dance routine "I think you'll be ready for your final"

"_Final?" _thought Tea with a surprised look on her face when she heard what Ms. Esmeralda had just said _"There's actually a final for this class?"_

Many of the other girls in the class looked confused too, so Ms. Esmeralda explained. At the end of every semester, her dance classes would put on a performance which was in reality the final. She and several other dance instructors would grade the girls according to the way they danced at the performance. Ms. Esmeralda assured the girls that they had nothing to worry about since they were all doing quite well. Several of the girls(including Tea) stood there looking so nervous that Ms. Esmeralda felt the need to mention one last thing. She was going to be holding dance practices at 3pm and 4pm for any girls who felt they needed to brush up on their skills. A few of the girls were visibly relieved, but this was of little consolation to Tea. _I don't even have time for homework nowadays..._

"Ms. Esmeralda what happens if I can't make it to practice?" said Tea as she raised her hand and got her dance teacher's attention "Is it possible to reschedule it for another time?"

"You can't make it either practice?" said Ms. Esmeralda as she slowly walked up to the blue eyed girl "Do you have to be in another class or at work during that time?"

"Yes" said Tea as she slowly nodded and took a deep breath "I can't come here because I work over at-"

"She works over at "Von Schroeder's" sneered Arielle as she folded her arms and gave an arrogant little laugh "Oh and did you know it's because she has no other choice?"

"WHAT?" growled Tea when she realized that this stupid girl seemed to know what was going on "You don't even know what you're talking about!"

Arielle gave a mocking laugh and decided to share Tea's little secret with the entire class. Apparently Arielle's aunt was the store manager over at "Von Schroeder's". So naturally she would give her niece generous discounts which meant that Arielle spent alot of time and money over at "Von Schroeder's". During one of her trips there she happened to notice a girl that looked like Tea off in the distance at one of the makeup counters. She asked her aunt about it and her aunt confirmed that her name was Tea Gardner. She also added that the only reason she was there was to cover for her mother who was missing once again. Arielle then told everyone that Tea's mother was not only lazy but a complete lunatic as well. After else would she have run off and left her daughter to pick up the slack for her?

**POW!**

The moment Arielle dared to call her mother a lunatic, Tea completely went over the edge. She balled up her fist and punched the blonde right in the face which sent her straight to the ground. Everyone in the class was in completely disbelief since they couldn't believe that Tea actually had just punched her. Arielle slowly sat up and made a strange muffled sobbing sound since she was bleeding from both nostrils.

"No one talks about my mother that way.." hissed Tea dangerously since the rage was still boiling in her veins "You hear me?"

"That's enough!" shouted Ms. Esmeralda as she ran over when she realized had just occured "This is completely unacceptable!"

"But you heard what she just said!" cried Tea as she looked over at Arielle who was still making muffled sobbing sounds "She insulted my mother!"

"That doesn't mean you had to resort to physical violence!" said Ms. Esmeralda who honestly felt a bit of regret by what she was about to do even if it was school policy "Tea I have no choice but to drop you from this class"

"What?" cried Tea with a look of shock since she couldn't believe that Ms. Esmeralda had just said this "But-"

"I'm sorry but my mind is made up" said Ms. Esmeralda very sternly as she folded her arms across her chest "Now please leave the classroom"

Tea quickly picked her things up, held her head up high, and marched out of the classroom. After all she wanted to go out with grace and dignity, but this didn't last for long. As soon as Tea was outside her eyes began to fill with tears and she ran from the campus as quickly as she could. _I can't let any of them see me cry..._

"Madame?" said a tall and almost ghoulish looking man as he nervously spoke to the woman on the other end "To what do I owe this honor?"

The man was one of the most reknowned psychiatrists in all of Domino City. He was very well known and admired by all of his colleagues for his fearless attitude. Then again one had to be fearless when dealing with criminally insane patients on a daily basis. Even though this man seemed afraid of no one, there was one person he feared more than anything...

"Dr. Lestrange today is the first of the month so it's time for the foolish one to recieve his usual injection" said Madame Cervantes as she tapped on the side of her desk with her perfectly polished red nails "But this month you'll be doing things a little differently"

"Whatever you want Madame" said Dr. Lestrange as he nervously wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his labcoat "After all I only live to serve you"

Dr. Lestrange listened very intently as Madame Cervantes began to tell him what she wanted him to do. Every month she would send out a small metal box containing a syringe filled with a green liquid. The green liquid was a dangerous serum that was capable of causing temporary insanity to the unlucky recipient. The effects would begin to wear off after three weeks or so, which meant it had to be administered monthly. The only difference was that this month the box would contain a red syringe as well as the usual green syringe. The red syringe was filled with one of the most powerful mind control serums ever developed. _Although not as powerful as the one that got away..._

"As usual he'll be given two choices" said Madame Cervantes as she opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a silver briefcase "Either he cooperates or he gets an injection"

"Begging your pardon Madame" said Dr. Lestrange as he looked out the window of his office to see if the car that usually brough the box had arrived "But which of the two syringes will I be adminstering?"

"You'll be giving him the mind control serum" said Madame Cervantes as her red lips curled into a sick sadistic smile "So I'd advise that you guard that syringe with your life...or you'll face the consequences"

"Yes Madame" said Dr. Lestrange rather shakily as he noticed a plain black sedan pull up outside "I'll do exactly as you please"

After hanging up the phone, Madame Cervantes immediately opened up the silver briefcase. The inside of the briefcase contained six slots, but one of these was empty. In the remaining five slots sat red syringes, exactly like the one she sent out earlier. Madame Cervantes' green eyes then began to glow in a very eerie way for a few seconds before the door to her office opened. Azalea, Belladonna, Gardenia, Ivy, and Nightshade immediately entered the room, walked right up to her desk, and stared at her. Their eyes were a little dull looking but they were nowhere as cold and lifeless looking as usual. She then took a syringe, walked up behind each woman, and injected her in the back of their neck. She never had trouble giving four of the women injections, but there was one who was always trouble...

"My dear Belladonna" said Madame Cervantes as she took one of the final syringe out and walked over to the dark haired woman "You're the most insolent yet best servant that I have"

"I-I-I d-don't w-w-want t-to s-serve y-you" stuttered Belladonna as she struggled to speak as her grey eyes suddenly went from dull to vibrant and angry "Y-you k-killed m-my f-fath-"

"Silence!" shouted Madame Cervantes as she slapped her across the face and brutally shoved the syringe in the side of her neck "You speak as if though you have a choice!"

"I-I-I hate you-you m-monster" growled Belladonna in pain as her angry grey eyes slowly began to get dull before gradually turning cold and lifeless "I live to serve you Madame"

As soon as the five women had recieved their injections, they silently exited the office. Madame Cervantes then put the briefcase away and sat back down at her desk. As she sat at her desk, she couldn't help smiling. By the end of the day she was going to have one of the two things she had wanted for quite some time. Now all she had to do was sit back and wait patiently as the hours went by. _After all good things come to those who wait..._

_"I wonder why Mokuba didn't come to school today?" _thought Serenity as she walked down the front steps of Domino High _"I hope he's alright"_

Since the start of the day, Serenity couldn't help but wonder where Mokuba was. After all she and Mokuba were probably the only two people who had never missed a single day so far. As the day went on though, Serenity realized that lots of other people were missing too. _Maybe they all got sick or something..._

"Serenity!"

"Huh?" said Serenity as she quickly spun around when she heard someone call out her name and couldn't believe who it was "Valon!"

"Hey Serenity" said Varon who was dressed in black pants, a white t-shirt, and a red jacket as he ran up to Serenity "So how're ya doin?"

Since Serenity and Varon first spoke, Varon hadn't been able to forget her. She was a really kind and sweet girl and he had really had a good time talking to her. Unfortunately he hadn't seen her since and had no clue where he could find her. He went to the pizza restaurant a few times in hopes that she'd be there, but she never was. He was beginning to lose hope of seeing her until one day he remembered that she attended Domino High. The bad thing was that Domino High's classes ended at 3pm which was several hours before he got off of work. He found a way to deal with the problem even if it meant putting on a performance. So that morning Varon pretended to cough, sneeze, wheeze, and whine in an attempt to make Amelda believe he was sick. _And it worked like a charm..._

"I'm doing good Valon" said Serenity who still couldn't believe that Valon was actually there "But what are you doing here?"

"Well..." said Valon who felt kind of silly for admitting why he was really there but he figured it was best to tell her the truth "I kinda wanted to see you"

"Really?" said Serenity as she blushed momentarily before she pulled back a strand of her hair and gave a little smile "Well...I kinda wanted to see you too"

As the two of them spoke, they failed to notice that a dark blue Ferrari had pulled right up beside them. The car had heavily tinted windows which made it impossible to see the driver. Then again the driver hadn't noticed them either since he was at the high school for a very important reason.

_"I can't believe that Mokuba's going to have to miss several days" _thought Seto as he turned off the car and pulled they key out of the ignition _"But I want to make sure that he gets his homework so he won't fall behind"_

Mokuba had woken up with a cold that morning and the doctor recommended plenty of rest for him. Even Seto was feeling a little feverish, but he chose to ignore it. After all he hated having to miss work over something as trivial as a little cold. As Seto prepared to get out of his car, he glanced over and noticed Serenity. He was was actually quite glad to see her but this feeling didn't last when he realized that some guy was talking to her. He slowly rolled down the window a bit and began to eavesdrop on their conversation. _Who the Hell is he and why is he talking to her?_

"I'm really happy to see you again Valon" said Serenity as she looked at her watch with a slightly disappointed look on her face "But I really have to get home now"

"Well do ya need a ride sheila?" asked Varon as he looked at her and hoped that she didn't turn down his offer "I could give you one if you want"

_"What?"_ thought Seto as he frowned and grit his teeth when he heard what Varon had just asked Serenity "_Who does he think he is?"_

Seto stared at the young man in front of him with complete hatred in his eyes. Was it because he had offered Serenity a ride? Or because he actually had the nerve to talk to her? Either way Seto didn't like the idea of some Aussie punk with hair almost as big as Yugi's talking to Serenity. It didn't seem like things would go according to the Aussie's plans since she had a reluctant look on her face. It was almost as if though she didn't know whether to trust him or not. This pleased Seto immensely, but the feeling was very short lived. Serenity suddenly nodded her head and finally accepted the ride which caused the young man to smile. Her smile faded quickly though when Varon pointed to a yellow motorcycle parked directly behind Seto. She began to look reluctant once again but Varon promised her that it would be perfectly safe. So they both got on the motorcycle and were speeding down the street within a matter of seconds. As soon as they left, Seto finally got out of his car and growled under his breath. He didn't know who the young man was, but either way he wanted him out of the picture. _Hmm...I wonder if the mutt knows about this guy?_

"She just doesn't understand" sniffled Tea as she took a tissue from a box of tissues that Yugi was currently holding out "It wasn't fair for her to drop me!"

After running away from the university, Tea headed straight to the Turtle Game Shop. After all Tea really needed to speak to somebody and Yugi was always there for her. As he Yugi listened to Tea, he realized that he had never seen her this agitated before. Although Tea was the sort of person who tried to keep a positive attitude, this was no longer the case. The look on Tea's face at that moment was of someone in complete emotional turmoil.

"Well look on the bright side" said Yugi since he felt that Tea was shooting herself down way too quickly "You could always retake the class later on"

"I know...but it's not about that" sniffled Tea as she looked at Yugi as she dabbed her teary dark blue eyes with her tissue "This made me realize that maybe I've done something wrong in life..."

"What?" said Yugi since he had known Tea since they were children and he had never heard her speak in such a way "What do you mean?"

"Well...why does my mother keep going away?" said Tea as she felt her chest tighten as she thought of the one event that started the cycle of chaos in her life up til that point "Is it because she doesn't want to be around me?"

A flood of memories suddenly filled Tea's mind and she fell to her knees. Tea's mother was a typical mom who woke her up in the morning, cooked, did the laundry, cleaned the house, and made sure she got her allowance. Other than that, Amneris wasn't really the mother Tea had hoped for. She was an extremely quiet and reserved person who never made an effort to communicate with her daughter. When Tea was a child she often wondered whether she had done something to make her mother not love her. As she grew older though she understood that being a single mom with a full time job was no easy task. Then again why did she make more of an effort to go away on her little "trips" than to spend time with her own daughter?

"My own mother doesn't love me" sobbed Tea as Yugi ran out from behind the counter and knelt down beside her "No wonder my life's become such a mess!"

"Don't say that Tea" said Yugi as he slowly pulled Tea up off of the ground and gently gave her a hug "You know it's not true"

As her oldest friend, Yugi had always been stunned by the effect memories of Tea's childhood had on her. No matter how good a mood she was in, these memories were always enough to upset her. They always left her feeling as if though there was something wrong with her that would make her mother not care for her. Yugi on the other hand had seen Tea's mother lots of times and during these times he noticed something. No matter what, Amneris seemed tired, sad, and extremely frustrated about something. Yugi would always assure Tea that her mother did love her in her own way. _Although I'm not so sure she believes it anymore..._

"Tea no matter what, you have to stay strong" said Yugi as he continued to hold the sobbing girl in his arms "And remember that I'll always be a part of your life no matter what"

"If that's the case..." said Tea as she sniffled and hiccupped for a moment before giving a slight smile "Then at least there'll always been one good thing in my life"

As soon as Tea said this, Yugi's face turned as red as a tomato which always caused her to smile. No matter which way life took her, Tea hoped that Yugi would always be there. He was a very wonderful and special person whom she cared about very much. Yugi felt exactly the same way about Tea, although he wondered about something. _I wonder if she'll ever figure out how I feel about her?_

_"Please let justice be done" thought Odysseus as he sat in court with Mr. Anderson by his side "I can't go to jail for a crime I haven't committed". He was currently clad in an orange prison jumpsuit and he was handcuffed as well. He ended up becoming the only suspect in the murder of the five chemists at Obsidian Inc and was imprisoned during the entire trial. Mr. Anderson was certain that Odysseus would be found innocent, but at that moment the judge was making the final decision. A few moments later the judge emerged from his quarters and made his way back up to the bench. Odysseus immediancely glanced back at his wife who was sitting among the crowd. Her pale green eyes were filled with mixed emotions as she held their sleeping who was clad in yellow pajamas. "Will the accused please rise?" said the bailiff as he motioned for Odysseus to stand up. The judge quickly summarized the accusations against Odysseus which consisted of five counts of second degree murder. "This court finds you guilty, therefore I sentence you to life in prison!" said the judge as he picked up his gavel and banged it "Case closed!". A look of shock came across Odysseus' face as the guards immediately grabbed him. "NO!" screamed Odysseus wife as soon as the guards began to drag him off "He's innocent!". It was of no use though since the guards took him off very quickly. Mr. Anderson had a look of utter disbelief since he hadn't been able to keep an innocent man out of jail. He then silently picked up his briefcase and walked out the door. "Odysseus!" wept the auburn haired woman who had thrown herself on her knees as she clutched the baby "Why did this have to happen?". At that moment someone walked right up beind the poor woman and began to tap their foot in order to get her attention."My my..." said an eerily familiar female voice as she continued tapping her foot "Isn't this a happy little coincidence?". "You?" gasped the auburn haired woman as she scrambled to her feet and pulled her baby closer "You did this!". The black haired woman was currently dressed from head to toe in red and had a look of glee in her dark green eyes. "I had no idea that Odysseus was your husband" said the woman as she curled her red lips into a sadistic smile "But now you're going to be all alone...right Angel?". "You bitch.." said Angel as her pale green eyes filled with the same rage of her earlier days "You did this on purpose!". "This is only the beginning" said the black haired woman as she looked right at Angel "I'll make sure that both you and Victoria pay!"._

_"Why won't these dreams go away?" _thought Amelda as he wearily rubbed his temples as he stared at his computer screen _"Is that too much to ask for?"._

For the past few weeks Amelda had been having bizarre dreams about the man named Odysseus and that black haired woman every single night. The dreams were very realistic and strangely enough appeared to be part of a same story. Each time he had one of these dreams though, he'd wake up and find himself unable to go back to sleep. He was now getting an average of four to five hours of sleep a night and it really showed. He was so tired that he didn't feel the urge to do many things, including dragging Varon in to work that morning. Who did Varon think he was fooling with that pathetic performance? Amelda was too tired to care though so he decided to go to work with or without him. He groaned softly and tried his best to stay awake and finish up his work.

"Amelda?" said Raphael as he unexpectedly walked up to Amelda's desk and startled him "Are you feeling alright?"

"I feel fine" lied Amelda as he immediately sat up straight in his chair and tried his best to look alert "Everything's alright"

"You look really tired though" said Raphael as he examined just how dull Amelda's grey eyes looked at that moment "Do you want to go home?"

"No really I'm fine" said Amelda as he tried even harder to make sure that he looked as alert as possible "Besides I can't leave you alone with all this work"

"I can manage" said Raphael as he unexpectly pulled the stubborn redhead up by one arm and looked him right in the eye "Now go home and get some rest"

Amelda knew that he was dead serious, so there was no point in trying to argue with him. He slowly walked to the door, opened it, and walked towards the elevator with Raphael watching him the entire time. After all Raphael knew how stubborn the redhead could be and he wanted to make sure that he actually went home. Once the elevator indicated that it had made it to the ground floor, Raphael went back into his office.

"_Now I can see what Varon's so worried" _thought Raphael as he walked back to his desk and took a seat _"I've never seen him like this"_

For the past few weeks Amelda had been falling asleep on the job more and more. At first Varon thought it was hilarious, but after awhile it began to lose it's humor. During one of these times Varon told Raphael that he was worried about Amelda. Although it was obvious that he wasn't getting as much rest as he should, there more to it. Amelda had always been an introvert, but now he had become far more withdrawn. When they were home, he'd spend absolutely all of his time locked up in his room. Before he'd at least come out to the living room, argue with Varon, go out for a walk, or across the street to the park. Now Varon hardly saw him despite the fact that they lived together. Raphael was very concerned as well since it might be serious, but he decided not to pry into it. After all he had known Amelda for a longer time and knew how he thought. While Amelda preferred to keep things to himself, he would speak up if it was something truly serious. _At least I hope he does..._

"Ooh what is with this traffic?" growled Mai as her blue convertible was stuck in very heavy afternoon traffic "I've gotta get home or the shrimp will go bad!"

The past few weeks had been the happiest ones Mai had had in a very long time. She and Joey had spent alot of time together and they were getting reacquainted with each other. During this time they both also learned alot of things that they didn't know about each other. Joey for one thing learned that although Mai was very selective about what she ate, she loved key lime pie. Joey on the other hand loved just about anything that was edible, but his current favorite food was angelhair pasta with shrimp. So as a special treat, Mai invited him over for dinner and planned to make his just that. Even before she asked him, she knew he'd accept since there was food involved. Although secretly she hoped that Joey didn't try to give her any little surprises of his own. _According to Serenity he nearly burned down the apartment the last time he tried to bake cookies..._

_"_Come on!" cried Mai as she and many of the other drivers began to honk their horns impatiently "Ugh...what I'd give for my old motorcycle right about now"

**VROOM!**

Right as Mai said this, a yellow motorcycle with two people onboard sped right by her car and came to a stop a few cars ahead of her. Mai sighed for a few moments because motorcycles, especially yellow ones always reminded her of Varon. She knew that past his though guy exterior, much like Joey, lay a really sweet guy capable of making a girl happy. She could only hope that their last encounter made him realize that he would have to look elsewere for love.

"I know it was harsh" said Mai as she continued staring at the motorcycle and noticed that the passenger was a teenage girl "But it's for his own good"

"So what do you think sheila?" asked Varon with a slight laugh since Serenity was gripping him as tightly as she could "Should I go faster?"

"Don't you think you were going fast enough already?" asked Serenity who had never ridden on a motorcycle before in her entire life "Please tell me you're joking"

"You know that I am" laughed Varon since he honestly didn't have any intention of going any faster until he got Serenity home "But...I could go faster if you want"

"No!"

"Aww c'mon!"

"No way!"

"Please?"

"Nope"

They both then laughed and suddenly the light turned green and they were off. They were both completely unaware though that they had just given Mai the shock of her life. After staring at the motorcycle for a little while longer, Mai realized that the driver was indeed Varon. That part didn't surprise her since she knew that he was in Domino, but she was surprised to see him with a girl. It was a good surprise though since it helped Mai see that Varon was moving on with his life. She hoped that this girl made Varon happy and vice versa. Oddly enough Mai also had a feeling that she had seen this girl somewhere even though she couldn't see her face. All she knew was that she was obviously a teenager since she was wearing a Domino High girls uniform. Right as the light turned green the girl gripped Varon tightly and looked backwards.

"Serenity..." uttered Mai as she blinked her violet eyes in complete disbelief at what she had just seen "That girl was Serenity..."

Although Mai was initially happy that Varon had found someone, now she was worried. Did Varon know that Serenity was actually Joey's little sister? If he didn't then this could mean big trouble for him. Joey was extremely protective of his little sister and he wouldn't let just anybody come near her. _I don't even want to think how this could turn out..._

_"It's the first of the month" _thought a lone man as he sat alone in a padded cell and stared up at a the heavy iron door _"How much more of this will I have to take?"_

Although the man was currently sitting on the ground, it was obvious that he was a very tall and thin. Unfortunately he so thin that his bones bulged in a very frightening way. His brown hair was was long, dirty, matted, and extremely wild looking. His skin was also so pale that it had an unnatural greyish hue that made him look like a corpse. Looking at him it was very difficult to believe that he had once been a very handsome young man. Although the rest of him had suffered the ravages of his circumstances, his blue eyes remained exactly the same. Although filled with exhaustion and sadness, they were also filled with warmth and longing. A longing to be with those that he loved...

_"My angels..." _thought the man as he lovingly gazed down at three worn out and slightly torn pictures that he pulled out of his pocket _"What I'd give to be with you again"_

"Alright here we are!" said a horribly familiar voice from outside of the heavy iron door that led into his cell "Open it up!"

At that moment the man gritted his teeth and quickly stuffed his beloved pictures back in his pocket. Although he knew what was coming, his main concern was keeping them from finding the pictures. After all the pictures were the only thing that reminded him that no matter what he had to stay strong and protect his loved ones at any cost. At that moment the door swung open and two orderlies entered the room followed by Dr. Lestrange. Dr. Lestrange was so ghoulish looking that if given a black cloak, he'd look just like the grim reaper. As the man looked up he noticed that Dr. Lestrange was holding a green syringe in his hand. _A sight I'm never happy to see..._

"Well it's that time of the month" said Dr. Lestrange as the two orderlies pulled the poor man up and brought him over "And you know the drill"

"Either tell that treacherous woman how my neural serum was made" said the man with a mixture of sarcasm and anger in his voice "Or get a dose of her serum and spend another month as a complete lunatic?"

"You've been through this enough times to know" said Dr. Lestrange as he stared at the pathetic excuse of a man in front of him "So will you cooperate or not?"

"That woman killed Fausto" said the man as his eyes filled with anger at the mention of his deceased friend/co-worker "Why? He did nothing to her!"

"He wouldn't have died if he had done as Madame asked" said Dr. Lestrange who was beginning to grow impatient as each minute went by "But he chose to take the secret of your serum to the grave"

"But he didn't know how to make it!" snarled the man as he tried to break free but the orderlies grips were too strong "I'm the only person that knew what went into it!"

"Well it's too late to cry over it" said Dr. Lestrange mockingly as he waved the green syringe in the man's face "Now will you tell Madame what she wants or not?"

"NEVER!" shouted the man as he jerked violently and tried to break free yet again from the orderlies "I'll never help The Viper you hear me? Never!"

"No wonder Madame calls you a fool Odysseus" laughed Dr. Lestrange as he put the green syringe away and pulled out the red syringe "You truly are a fool"

"What?" exclaimed Odysseus when he saw the red syringe in the doctor's hand and realized that it was a different injection "What on Earth is-Ahhhh!"

Dr. Lestrange brutally shoved the needle as hard as he could into Odysseus neck and pushed down. After all when one had a sadist like The Viper as a master, one had to learn from example. After the doctor finally withdrew the needle, the orderlies threw Odysseus back onto the ground. He rolled around on the ground in pain for a few seconds before coming to a complete stop and slowly getting back up. As Odysseus stood up he slowly turned his head and looked straight at the doctor. His once expressive blue eyes were now cold, dull, and completely lifeless. He was now one of her puppets...

"Well done Dr. Lestrange" hissed Odysseus in a strange raspy voice as Madame Cervantes spoke through his body "You've always been one of my most loyal servants"

"Thank you Madame" said Dr. Lestrange as he bowed his head in respect because he knew he was in the prescence of his master "I'll always serve you no matter what"

"_And now..." _thought Madame Cervantes who was currently back in her office, gazing out at downtown Domino _"I can finally complete my revenge..."_

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for the reviews guys! You guys rock and I really appreciate them very much! Well there's some things that I know are a little confusing so I thought I'd explain some before the next chapter. As you guys probably guessed already, Madame Cervantes is The Viper. She's also able to control people's minds with the use of mind control serums(kind of like Marik with the Millenium Rod). Oh and I got the name Dr. Lestrange from Bellatrix Lestrange. Anyways thanks once again! Hugs and kisses people! (tosses chocolates) :)


	17. Fallen Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Fallen Angel**

_"I can't do this anymore" thought Angel as she looked down at the razor sharp armored gloves on her hands "At least not now that I have him". For many years Angel was an angry person full of hatred with a desire to harm others. Behind this lay a lonely young woman who at times figured she'd be better off dead. Now that the months had passed, she no longer felt this way anymore. The warmth and affection Odysseus had shown her was more than enough to make her see that there was hope for the future. Unfortunately there was one problem: Her master. "If I stay here I'll always be miserable" thought Angel as she sighed and walked over to a nearby window "But if I leave then I have a chance to be happy". "There you are!" exclaimed a young black haired female as she entered the room and walked up to Angel "I thought that maybe you hadn't come in today". Both young women were both in their early twenties and were both clad in black outfits with high heeled boots. The only difference was that Angel wore armored gloves while the other young woman didn't. "You're half right Victoria" said Angel as she looked back at her comrade "After all today is going to be my last day here...". "What?" cried Victoria as her large brown eyes shot open in disbelief at what she heard "What do you mean?". "What I mean is that I've had it" said Angel with a defiant look in her pale green eyes "I don't want to be an assassin anymore". Although Victoria knew that Angel was very unpredictable, she never would have expected this. After all Angel was The Viper's top assassin and the envy of many other members of The Society. Then again so was Victoria since she too shared a spot with Angel, even though she wasn't an assassin. It was her great intelligence and vast knowledge of chemicals that earned her this spot. "A-Are you doing this because of him?" whispered Victoria as she looked around to make sure no one heard them "Or is it because you don't want to work for her?". "Both reasons" said Angel as she nodded her head "I don't wanna spend the rest of my life here". "At least you have a reason to leave" said Victoria with a sad tone in her voice as she lowered her head "I'm stuck here for the rest of my life...". When she said this Angel looked at her as if though she were completely insane. The way Victoria spoke made it sound as if though she were The Viper's slave or something. She was absolutely brilliant and could easily get a legitimate job anywhere else. "You're wrong because you're not going to stay here" said Angel as she suddenly reached out and grabbed Victoria's arm "You're going to come with me". "What?" exclaimed Victoria who was nowhere as impulsive as Angel "N-No I can't!". "You can and you will!" said Angel she tightened her grip to keep her from running off "Besides... you're the only friend I've got". "Friend?" asked Victoria who was surprised to hear that the usually cold young woman considered her a friend "I didn't know that you-YEOW!". Before she could finish her sentence, Angel suddenly pulled her arm and dragged her off. They had to get out of the building before anyone realized what they were currently up to. Unfortunately they failed to realize that someone had just overheard their entire conversation. "So these two have abandoned our master?" thought a short, greasy, and toadlike man known as Claudius "I have to tell her at once!". _

"I fall asleep for a few minutes" muttered Amelda as he slowly walked down the pathway leading from his apartment building down to the sidewalk "And I have a new dream...just great"

Even though he wasn't happy at first that he was sent home, this changed as soon as Amelda got there. As soon as he went into his bedroom he began to feel very sleepy and his bed began to look very appealing. Within seconds he had crawled under the covers, bundled himself off, and drifted off to sleep. He woke up about ten minutes later and realized that he had just had a new dream. Amelda honestly didn't care though and was more concerned with getting back to sleep. Unfortunately he found himself unable to do so despite the exhaustion he felt. He desperately tossed, turned, and rolled all around the bed, but it was no use. In the end Amelda simply gave up, changed into a blue t-shirt, cargo pants, and a white track jacket with dark blue sleeves. _Maybe a walk in the park will help me fall asleep again..._

_"That woman..." _thought Amelda as he stepped off of the sidewalk and began to cross the street _"Is she the same one from my other dreams?"_

Although she looked the same woman from the previous dream, she was very different. The Angel that Amelda had first seen was a loving wife and a caring mother. The Angel he was seeing now was was an assassin. Although she was an assassin, she wanted to leave this life behind and go off with Odysseus. So was this actually the same woman? As strange as this dream was, there one thing that in particular that Amelda found very unusual: Victoria. Although Victoria was a beautiful young woman, she bore a certain resemblance to someone Amelda wasn't fond of...

_"She looks alot like Constantina" _thought Amelda as he walked through the grass and past several trees _"Although I'm sure that she never looked that good"_

Before Amelda could continue his thoughts, he noticed a soccer ball land in the grass just up ahead. He gave a smile since he had a pretty good idea of where the ball had come from. So he picked up the ball and as he headed down to the field to return it, he ran into the pink haired girl. The moment she saw Amelda, her eyes widened and she began to shout in order to let the other kids know that he was back. Within seconds all of the other kids ran up to where she was and just stared up at Amelda as if in disbelief that he was actually there.

"Amelda!" cried the pink haired girl as she suddenly ran forward and clung to Amelda's leg " We were so worried about you!"

"Yeah" said the black haired boy as he ran his hand through his messy mane "Where were you?"

"Were you sick?" asked the blue haired boy as he looked up at Amelda

"Were you busy?" asked a blonde haired boy as he absent mindedly tugged at his sleeve

"Were you tired?" asked a brown haired girl as she blinked several times while looking up at him

"Or did you just forget about us?" asked the pink haired girl as she looked straight up at Amelda with a sad look on her face "After all you're an adult and we're just kids"

"I'm really sorry that I haven't been around lately" said Amelda as he gently pulled the little girl off of his leg and into his arms "But there's no way I'd ever forget about you guys"

"That's okay!" squealed the pink haired girl as she gave Amelda a really big hug since she couldn't believe her luck "I forgi-I mean we forgive you!"

"Besides it's not like we didn't have fun without you" said the black haired boy as he went over and took the soccer ball "Someone else played with us a few days ago!"

"Really?" said Amelda since he had absolutely no idea of who else would be willing to play soccer with the kids "Who?"

"Alex!" sighed the pink haired girl with a dreamy look on her face as she remembered her newest crush "He's so cute!"

"Who?"

"That guy you hit in the head last time" said the blue haired boy as he rolled his eyes at the pink haired girl "The one that had a huge bruise afterwards!"

"Oh"

"So..." said the black haired boy impatiently since he wanted to get back to the game "Do you want to play or do you have to do something else?"

"Well...I was on my way to-Huh?" said Amelda as he put the little girl back on the ground(much to her disappointment) and suddenly pointed at something "Look at that!"

"Huh?" cried all the little kids as they immediately turned around to see what he was talking about "What is it?"

The kids had absolutely no clue what Amelda was talking about since they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. When they turned around to ask him about it, they saw him running down towards the field with the soccer ball. They couldn't believe that he had tricked them so easily. Then again it didn't really matter since they were just happy to have him back. What the kids didn't know was that being around them made Amelda happy as well. They all immediately ran down to the field and began to play like they usually did.

_"I can't believe that I lost track of the time!" _thought Tea as she stepped off of the sidewalk and onto the grass _"As if this day wasn't bad enough already.."_

Even though talking to Yugi had made her feel a little better, it also caused her to lose track of the time. When Tea finally glanced at her watch she realized that she only had half an hour before work. To make matters worse she realized that she had forgotten her uniform at home. So after running several blocks like crazy while avoiding cars, bicycles, and other pedestrians, Tea finally made it back to her apartment. After finally getting dressed she immediately dashed out the front door and decided to take a shortcut through the park. _This should save me at least five minutes..._

"Yeah!" shouted a young blue haired boy somewhere in the distance as he and a few other people played soccer "I've got the ball and there's nothing you can do!"

"Oh really!" said Amelda jokingly as he suddenly ran around the boy and quickly took the ball away from him "Well better luck next time"

"No fair!"

_"Well at least they get to have fun" _thought Tea as she momentarily glanced over at them down on the field _"I wish that I could have some-"_

**POW!**

Before Tea knew what had happened, she was struck in the face by the soccer ball. She ended up falling backwards onto the grass and lay there completely stunned from the blow. Amelda and the kids had seen the moment that a woman was hit by the soccer ball and knocked down. Amelda couldn't believe that he had just struck another person, so he immediately ran towards her. He could only hope that the woman was alright and that she didn't think he did it on purpose.

"_Tea?_" thought Amelda in complete disbelief when he finally reached her and realized who she was _"This would happen wouldn't it?"_

As Amelda knelt down beside the unconscious Tea, he couldn't help but feel confused yet again. Even though she had a slight bruise on her cheek where the ball struck, she looked very serene and beautiful. Seeing her like this reminded him of the two times that he had carried her back home. The first time he hadn't wanted to do it at all since he honestly didn't care for her at all. In fact it was Miruko's memory that convinced him to actually take her back home. The second time was vastly different since he had fallen in love with her at that point. He wasted no time in carrying her back home since he wanted her to rest after their little chase. This second time also marked an enormous heartbreak and the beginning of his current emotional turmoil.

_"I know I have to forget you" _thought Amelda as he gently pulled Tea into his arms and brushed a strand of hair away from her face _"But I can't no matter how hard I try"_

"Unnnh..." suddenly groaned Tea as she slowly opened her eyes and realized that her vision was a little fuzzy at that moment "W-What happened?"

"You..." started Amelda as his voice cracked making him feel and sound like some sort of awkward teenage boy "You were hit by a soccer ball..."

"Huh?" said Tea as she suddenly snapped out of it and went into shock when she realized who was looking down at her "You!"

It was only then that Tea realized that not only was Amelda looking down at her but she was currently in his arms as well. She gasped and immediately pulled herself away from him and quickly tried to get back on her feet. It was no use though since she was very dizzy and ended up stumbling and falling forward. Amelda was quick though and caught her before she hit the ground. So despite her attempts, Tea ended up right back in Amelda's arms. At this point her cheeks turned bright red, so she quickly turned around before he noticed it.

_"Why did I have to run into you?" _thought Tea as she pressed a hand against Amelda's chest to keep a distance between them _"And why is this happening?"_

Being in Amelda's arms once again made Tea feel extremely uncomfortable. After all the last time she had been this close to him was when she had been foolish enough to kiss him. Even though he could have pulled away when she did this, he chose to respond to it instead. It was absolutely the most wonderful and passionate thing she had ever experienced in her life. Just remembering that kiss made her face burn as if though she had a terrible fever. At the same time she was also dreading the moment when she'd have to turn around and face Amelda again. Then again maybe this was a good thing since it might help convince her that he was completely wrong for her.

_"I know she doesn't want to be here right now" _thought Amelda as he glanced down at the Tea and noticed how hard she was trying to not make eye contact _"But I have to do this to convince myself once and for all_"

_"Okay...I'll look up on the count of 3" _thought Tea as she tried to gather enough courage to look the redhead straight in the eye _"1, 2,-"_

Before she could reach 3, Amelda gently placed his hand under Tea's chin and pulled her face up. The moment her blue eyes met his grey eyes, it felt as if though everything around them stopped. Even though she was trying to deny her feelings, her eyes betrayed her. They completely revealed the way she truly felt about the young man standing in front of her. It seemed that Amelda wasn't doing any better since he too had been betrayed as well. His normally cold and mirrorlike eyes decided that they wanted to reflect his true feelings as well. Even though no words were exchanged between them, Tea and Amelda felt completely different. The fear of thinking that the other despised them was suddenly gone. When they both came to their senses they found themselves leaning towards each other and their lips were about to meet yet again...

"Hey Amelda!" shouted the black haired boy as he and the other kids suddenly ran up and scared the daylights out of both of them "Is everything-Hey what's going on?"

"Uhh.."

"Well..uh..."

"Hey you're the lady that got hit with the ball" said the blonde haired boy as he looked up at them in shock "So why were you about to kiss?"

"Yeah!" shouted the pink haired girl in an indignant tone of voice since she couldn't believe what she had just seen "Who do you think you are?"

"Hey you live in the apartment next to me!" exclaimed the blue haired boy when he suddenly recognized Tea "So are you Amelda's girlfriend or what?"

"I-I-I..." stammered Tea as she turned several shades of red and quickly backed away from Amelda "I have to go to work!"

While Tea ran off as quickly as she could, Amelda just stood there and watching. Despite what he had initially thought, he now realized that she didn't hate him after all. In fact judging by what had nearly happened, they had the same feelings for each other. Knowing that the girl he had come to care for actually had feelings for him was a good feeling. Suddenly all of the anguish from the past weeks was put behind him and he could get on with his life. _Well right after I finish this soccer game of course..._

**Several Hours Later**

"Mmmmm!" mumbled Joey with a mouth full of shrimp and angel hair pasta "Dis is da best thing I've eaten all day!"

"Well I'm glad to see you like it" said Mai with a smile on her face as she watched Joey happily devour her cooking "I'm not really much of a cook"

"Well ya better give Serenity da recipe!" said Joey as he swallowed the food and prepared to shovel another forkfull into his mouth "Cause she's da one dat does da cooking after all..."

As soon as Joey mentioned Serenity's name, Mai's violet eyes opened wide as if in shock. All night long she had been thinking of what she had seen earlier and how real the situation was. Although the sight of Varon and Serenity together was very sweet, it was also troubling at the same time. Though they seemed perfect for each other and made a cute couple, she couldn't help but worry. After all she was fairly certain that Joey had no idea what Serenity was up to at all. _I have to ask without being too obvious..._

"So how has Serenity been lately?" asked Mai as she tried her best to not arouse Joey's suspicion in any way "Is she doing good?"

"Yeah she's doin' really good" said Joey as he swallowed the food in his mouth and poked at a lone shrimp on the plate "She's been real happy lately"

"She's been really happy?" asked Mai since she was almost sure that this happiness had to do with Varon "Oh that's good to hear"

"She may be happy though" said Joey as he popped the shrimp in his mouth and continued to speak as he chewed it "But not as happy as me though"

Before Mai could ask him why he was so happy, he went ahead and told her. Although Joey was a total goofball who liked to make jokes whenever he could, now was not one of those times. His brown eyes were filled with complete sincerity as he spoke from his heart. When Mai vanished after the Doom Organization disbanded, Joey worried about Mai. He wondered how she was doing and could only wish that she'd contact them somehow. When a year went by and still no word from Mai, he began to wonder. Perhaps Mai hadn't contacted anyone because she had made a new life for herself and wanted nothing in Domino. If she had then it could also be possible that her new life included Varon. After all Varon was probably the only other person who cared for Mai as much as he did. Now that fate had brought them back together, Joey couldn't help but feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

"After all I'm gettin' a second chance ta get ta know ya" said Joey as he smiled sincerely and took one of Mai's hands "What more could I ask for?"

"Joey" said Mai with a smile as she gently reached out and stroked Joey's messy blonde mane with her free hand "You talk about me as if though I were something really special"

"Ya are special Mai" said Joey as he gently pulled Mai's hand out of his hair and held it in his own "You and my little sis are da most special people in my life"

While Joey's sincerity made Mai feel very happy, it did little to ease her worries. In fact realizing the spot Serenity occupied in Joey's life made her worry more than ever. Joey and Serenity were both very close and they obviously shared many things. The only thing Serenity didn't seem to be sharing was the fact that she and Varon knew each other. Then again Serenity probably didn't know who Varon actually was. After all if she knew that he had once been out to steal Joey's soul, then she'd probably want nothing to do with him. She also had a pretty good feeling that Varon didn't know who Serenity was, but she wasn't too sure. She began to wonder whether she should find him and have a little chat with him. _After all this could be his first real chance at happiness..._

"I can't believe you did this!" sniffled a very congested Mokuba as he sat up and looked at the pile of homework on his desk "I'm sick so I shouldn't have to do all of that!"

"You should be glad I brought your homework" said Seto who was honestly beginning to feel more and more feverish and tired as each minute went by "Now you won't fall behind"

Mokuba had been nicely bundled up in his warm cozy bed when he was woken up by a loud thump. When he opened up his eyes he found Seto standing in front of his desk along with an enormous stack of papers. He assumed that Seto had simply come in to check on him and that he had brought some of his paperwork along with him. So he mumbled a sleepy greeting and decided to get back to bed. As soon as Seto told him what the papers actually were, Mokuba suddenly wasn't that sleepy. _What is this? Homework for the entire year?_

"Well I'm not doing today!" complained Mokuba in a childlike tone of voice and he flopped back onto his pillow "I feel really tired even though I've been sleeping all day"

"No one expects you to" said Seto as he sat beside Mokuba and realized that his own body was beginning to ache a little "But before I go...can I ask you something?"

Even after Seto left Domino High and went back to Kaiba Corp, he couldn't stop thinking about Varon. Absolutely everything about Varon made Seto hate him more than he had hated anyone in a long time. That hair, that annoying accent, that stupid grin, and that ridiculous looking yellow motorcycle. Worst of all, Serenity had actually left with this guy. But who exactly was this guy anyways? Was he just some random person Serenity had met somewhere? Or could he actually be a student at Domino High? There was only one way to find out...

"Do you have an brown haired Australian classmate?" asked Seto as he tried his best not to seem too suspicious "One that rides a yellow motorcycle?"

"Not that I know of" said Mokuba as he sniffled and reached over for a tissue from the box on his nightstand "Why did you want to know?"

"I saw someone like that outside of the high school" said Seto since he had a feeling that Mokuba suspected he might be up to something "So I was just wondering"

"Well he's probably just someone's boyfriend" said Mokuba as he cautiously wiped his sore nose with the tissue "Or older brother...I dunno"

"Well I'll leave now so you can rest" said Seto as he got up from Mokuba's bed and began to walk towards the door "Goodnight kiddo"

"Goodnight Seto" mumbled Mokuba as he sniffled again and glanced over at the mountain of homework on his desk again "_Great now I'm going to have nightmares all night long!"_

As soon as Seto left Mokuba's room and headed down the hall, he pulled out his cellphone. He was not happy with the idea of not knowing who Varon was, so he decided to find out. He quickly scrolled down until he found Roland's phone number and immediately dialed it. Whenever Seto wanted someone to get him any kind of information no matter how complicated, he asked Roland. He worked so quickly and so discreetly that it was no wonder that he was Seto's right hand man.

"Mr. Kaiba?" said Roland as he quickly answered his phone when he realized that his boss was calling it "What can I do for you sir?"

"I want you to help me find information on someone" said Seto as he continued walking down the hall towards his bedroom "But I don't have many leads"

"It doesn't matter sir" said Roland who was always eager to please his boss in any way he could "I'll do my best with whatever you give me"

So far the only thing Seto knew was that the young man he was looking for was a brown haired, blue eyed Australian, who rode a yellow motorcycle. This really wasn't much for Roland to work with, but then Seto suddenly remembered something. When Serenity had been talking to this guy, she had referred to him as "Valon". Seto wasn't sure whether this was actually his name, but he told Roland anyways.

"Don't worry Mr. Kaiba" said Roland as he looked over the information that he had just jotted down "I'll start investigating right away and I'll present my findings as soon as possible"

"I know you will" said Seto since he knew the lengths Roland would go to in order to find the information "See you in the morning"

After hanging up his cellphone, Seto went into his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He was still feeling feverish so he walked into his bathroom to see if he actually looked sick. Although Seto's face was extremely flushed from the climbing fever, he still wore a smirk on it. After all now that he had Roland looking for information on this "Valon", he might be able to dig up something. If all went well then perhaps he could find something so terrible that Serenity would want nothing to do with him. With the Aussie out of the picture, Serenity would be all alone once again. This would finally be Seto's opportunity to claim the angelic young beauty for himself. _You'll be mine and mine alone..._

"THAT BITCH!" screamed Arielle at the top of her lungs as she stood in front of a mirror and looked at her face "Can you believe what she did to my face?"

Arielle had been so upset after Tea slapped her that she immediately ran out of the classroom. She quickly headed to the President of the University's office and demanded that Tea be expelled. A few minutes later Miss Esmeralda showed up since she had a feeling of what she had in mind. Arielle gave her account of what had happened, and Miss Esmeralda gave her account. After all Arielle neglected to mention that she had been the one who had started the incident. After hearing both versions of the story, the President came to a decision. Although he agreed that Tea shouldn't have hit Arielle, he felt Miss Esmeralda's punishment was fair enough. Arielle's jaw dropped and she tried to get him to reconsider, but his decision was final. Arielle then tried to bribe him to see if he'd change his mind, but it was no use. So after spending the entire day fuming, she decided to go see Constantine. After all he was her best friend and pretty much almost always backed her up. Unfortunately this was one of the few times where he wasn't on her side...

"You insulted her mother" said Stan who was comfortably sprawled out on the black leather sofa in his living room "So what did you think was going to happen?"

"I'm going to make that bitch pay for this!" screamed Arielle with a look of insanity in her blue-green eyes as she looked at the bruise on her cheek "And I want you to help me make her pay!"

"Hey this is your problem so face it alone" said Stan as he closed his green eyes and tried to ignore her screams "Besides even I think you got what you deserve..."

**SLAP!**

"You traitor!" screamed Arielle as she jumped onto the couch and slapped Stan across the face as hard as she could in a fit of rage "What about all the times I've helped you?"

"Get off of me!" growled Stan as he pushed the crazed blonde off of himself and knocked her onto the floor "I'm not going to help you hurt Tea so you're on your own!"

"Because you like her?" hissed Arielle as she grabbed onto the coffee table as she pulled herself off of the rug "IS THAT IT CONSTANTINE?"

"Yeah I like her" said Stan as he stretched out on the couch and resumed his relaxation once again "You have a problem with that?"

"Well you're an idiot because she doesn't like you!" snapped Arielle as she roughly pushed Stan's legs aside to make room to sit on the couch "That whore's after my Alex!"

_"_Look I'm not helping you get revenge on anyone_" _said Stan as he narrowed his eyes and spoke in a dangerous tone of voice _"_At least not til I get revenge on someone else first..._"_

For the past few weeks, Stan had been extremely bothered by something. Although he could care less about Alex, the mention of his name sparked Stan's anger. After all the thing that bothered him was a person, a person who bore resemblance to Alex. Although the last time Stan he had seen Amelda was several weeks before at Azure Inc, his hatred towards him continued to grow. He had begun to hate him since the day that he had the nerve to interfere when he was trying to pick up Tea. Then the next time they met, Amelda had the nerve to not only insult him but shove him as well. No one had ever dared to do such a thing to Stan, so Amelda was the first to cross the line. _No one insults Constantine Von Furstenburg without paying for it..._

**Monday Morning**

It was yet another Monday morning over at Azure Inc, but it wasn't a typical morning. First of all when Amelda and Varon showed up, Raphael immediately noticed the change in Amelda. No longer were grey eyes dull and tired looking, they were now clear and very alert. He even looked healthier and appeared to be in a better mood than he had been in the past few weeks. It seemed that whatever had been bothering him recently was now a thing of the past.

"It's good to see that you're looking better today" said Raphael as Amelda walked towards his his desk and pulled the chair out "Right Varon?"

"I know why he's looking better!" said Varon jokingly as he jumped up on the edge Amelda's desk as if there were no chairs around "It's because he finally found a bloke who'll love him for the neat freak he is!"

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

Raphael knew that when these words were exchanged, a fight was going to break out. Oddly enough Raphael wasn't worried at all, in fact he was actually a little happy. For the past few weeks his office had been pretty quiet and everything felt a little odd. After all without Amelda and Varon arguing, Raphael felt like he had the first few days he had spent as CEO. Those were the loneliest days for Raphael and things didn't get better until he found his friends and gave them jobs. Now as Amelda pushed Varon off of his desk and onto the floor, Raphael knew that things were once again back to normal. _I don't think this day can get any better..._

**Knock Knock Knock**

"Good morning!" said Mr. Anderson very cheerfully as he opened the door and noticed Varon standing there rubbing his butt "Oh..am I interrupting something?"

"Mr. Anderson!" exclaimed Raphael, Amelda, and Varon with a complete look of disbelief as Mr. Anderson walked further into the office

"How are you feeling?" said Raphael as he immediately walked out from behind his desk and went over to the older man "When did you get out of the hospital?"

"I've been out of the hospital since Saturday and I feel fine" said Mr. Anderson happily as he looked up at Raphael and then cast a glance over at Varon "But what happened to you young man?"

"Oh it's nothing" said Varon as his face turned a bright red shade before quickly scrambling off to the other side of the office "I just fell on my bum is all"

"Mr. Anderson you have no idea how glad I am to see you back here" said Raphael with a smile on his face as they finally reached his desk and stopped in front of it "It hasn't been the same without you"

"I'm very glad to be here!" exclaimed Mr. Anderson as he suddenly opened up his briefcase and took out some papers "And I've brought good news for you Raphael!"

"Good news?" said Raphael with a surprised look on his face as Mr. Anderson handed him the papers

Mr. Anderson had brought the paperwork that showed just how much money Azure Inc had made in the past month. Even though the company just had a few random fashion designers residing there, they had all come through. Their sales had gone completely through the roof and brought in far more money than ever had in the past. When Mr. Anderson told Raphael just how much money it was, Raphael suddenly went into deep thought. Even after Obsidian Inc bought out Azure Inc and turned it into a laughingstock, Raphael never gave up. This had been his father's company and there was no way he would ever give up on it. Now it seemed as if though everything hadn't been in vain since the company was quickly climbing up once again. _Dad I hope you're able to see this wherever you are..._

"Well now that I'm through with the minor things" said Mr. Anderson as he shuffled through the papers and pulled out a light blue one "Now I can get to good news!"

"What?" said Raphael with a surprised look on his face since he had no idea what Mr. Anderson was talking about "But wasn't this the good news?"

"Yes but there's more" said Mr. Anderson with a grin since he knew just how shocked Raphael once he heard what he had to say "Something guaranteed to please you"

Even though there were many designers at Azure, one had surpassed them all yet again. Constantina had singlehandedly managed to pull in nearly half the amount of what the other designers had pulled in. Now with her added amount, Azure Inc's stocks had skyrocketed and they were one of the top 3 companies in Domino. The top one of course was Obsidian Inc, followed by KaibaCorp, and now Azure Inc. When Raphael and Varon heard this they were both left completely speechless. Amelda on the other hand hadn't heard a word of what Mr. Anderson had said. His attention had been completely focused on the door. Even though the door was currently closed, Amelda could swear he heard movement outside. He was almost certain that someone was eavesdropping, so he quickly and quietly moved towards the door.

_"Don't people have anything better to do?" _thought Amelda as he slowly put his hand on the doorknob and flung the door open _"Well now to see just who it is"_

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" cried Constantina as the door suddenly opened and caused her to fall facefirst onto the ground "Oh.. hello dahling!"

"What the Hell were you doing out there?" asked Amelda as he grabbed Constantina by the arm, pulled her up, and pulled her outside the office "Were you admiring the doorknob?"

"I-I wanted to speak to Raphael but he was busy" said Constantina who was mentally kicking herself for allowing herself to be caught "So I didn't want to interrupt"

"So is that why you were eavesdropping?" asked Amelda as he tightened his grip since he was completely certain this woman was nothing more than a spy out to destroy Raphael's company "Is it?"

"Uh well..Rico's waiting for me so I'll come back later!" said Constantina as she quickly pulled away from the redhead and scrambled towards the elevator "Goodbye!"

Constantina began to press the elevator button as desperately as she could since she just wanted to get away. She knew that she was taking a big risk by eavesdropping, but she couldn't help herself. After all she wanted to hear what Raphael said when he found out just how much she had earned for his company. Of course she didn't get a chance to hear it since Amelda caught her at that very moment. Then again this didn't surprise Constantina since Amelda moved as quickly and silently as an assassin. In fact after observing him for the past few months, she couldn't help but be reminded of someone. When the elevator finally arrived, Constantina quickly got in and hit the button that would take her back down to the lobby. What Constantina didn't know was that at that very moment, Amelda was quickly running down the stairs. He wanted to make sure that she actually went to the lobby and not to another floor where she could easily hide out and then return. _I can't let her take any information back to Obsidian Inc..._

_"I know exactly what you two are up to" _thought Madame Cervantes as she stood in front of a window with her eyes fixed on the sky blue building in the distance _"But I have more important matters right now"_

Madame Cervantes then lowered her gaze and pressed a hand against the cold glass. The weather was getting colder since winter was coming, but with each new season came change. Soon the trees with their colorful brown, gold, and red leaves would be left bare, cold, and completely dead in the winter. It was no wonder that winter happened to be Madame Cervantes' favorite season of all.

_"I know you're close" _thought Madame Cervantes as she turned away from the window and returned to her desk _"I can sense your prescence"_

As soon as she was back in her seat, Madame Cervantes looked over at the edge of her desk. There sat the small and unusual looking winged cobra figurine looking back at her. Although many people thought that Obsidian's winged serpent logo was silly, no one understood what it represented. Only a select few knew that it represented knowledge, but for Madame Cervantes it had an added meaning. Suddenly her green eyes suddenly began to glow and she extended her right hand as if though reaching out towards it.

"Awaken Quetzalcoatl..." hissed Madame Cervantes as her eyes began to glow with more intensity "AWAKEN!"

The moment she said this, the sky all around Obsidian Inc grew dark and the air grew freezing cold. Suddenly a hissing sound was heard and it was accompanied by the sound of feathers rustling. The tiny winged serpent that usually sat on her desk had just been brought to life and it's eyes were glowing green just like hers. It then immediately began to crawl towards her as if flapped it's tiny feathery wings. _Without you I wouldn't be The Viper..._

_"_I'm not going to kill you Angel" said Madame Cervantes as she picked up the unusual serpent and let it wrap itself around her arm "But in the end you'll wish I had"

"Hiss" said Quetzalcoatl as it wrapped itself as tightly as if could around The Viper's arm and bared it's long white fangs "Hiss..."

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last two chapters! You guys are the greatest! I know this is kinda late, but I forgot to mention something from chapter 14. In that chapter the city the woman is looking down on is supposed to be where Amelda lived before the war. I'm sure you guys might have figured it out, but I thought I'd mention it. Okay I think I might have mentioned this before but Quetzalcoatl means "feathered serpent". I don't really know what to say other than as usual, more warnings about OOCness! Hugs and kisses people! (throws chocolates) :)


	18. The Omen

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**The Omen**

"Joey why are you walking me to school?" asked Serenity with a puzzled look on her face as she looked down at her watch "Aren't you going to be late for class?"

Monday morning had started off as it normally did at the Wheelers apartment. Serenity got up first, washed up, got dressed, and put some waffles into the toaster. She then knocked on Joey's door to wake him up. Joey just mumbled something and went right back to sleep, but Serenity didn't worry. After all the smell of the waffles always got him out of bed. She then went back into the kitchen, took out the bottle of maple syrup, and continued to wait for the waffles. As soon as the waffles were ready, Serenity put them a plate and headed to the table. Surely enough there sat Joey fully dressed and eagerly awaiting his favorite breakfast treat. After breakfast was over they usually went their seperate ways, but not on this particular day. _I don't have a waffle stuck to my backpack do I?_

"Nah dere's no class today at da college or da university" said Joey with a huge smile on his face as he happily jumped onto someone's lawn "Dat's why I'm walkin' ya ta school"

"Really?" said Serenity as she glanced up at her big brother and laughed since he accidently trampled through a flowerbed "Oh then that explains why you look happier than usual"

In fact Joey had been pretty happy since the previous week when Mai invited him over to dinner. Normally the only time Joey was ever this happy was when he was eating something he truly loved. So as strange as it was to see Joey in a perpetually good mood, Serenity couldn't blame him. After all she had been just as happy(or maybe more) since the day she ran into Valon outside of the high school. _That was the best day I've had in awhile..._

"Well I'm not da only one dat seems ta be happy" said Joey as he stopped in his tracks for a moment "So why are ya so happy sis?"

"Oh well I have a new friend" said Serenity as she tried her best to keep from blushing as she mentioned his name "His name's Valon"

"Valon?" said Joey as the look of happiness suddenly left his face and was replaced with a puzzled look "_Huh dat sounds kinda like Varon.."_

"Joey?" said Serenity when she noticed how quickly her brother's mood had changed when she mentioned Valon's name "What's wrong?"

"Nothin sis" said Joey when he realized that Serenity had noticed his sudden change in behavior "Everythin's okay"

"Is something bothering you?" asked Serenity with a worried look in her soft brown eyes as she gazed up at her brother "Your expression changed as soon as I said Valon"

As soon as Serenity repeated the name, Joey couldn't help but think of Varon. He immediately had a flashback to the duel that they had in the past. Not only had it been one of the most memorable duels Joey ever had, it was also one of the fiercest. The reason it was so fierce was because they were dueling with everything they had. Although both of their souls were at stake, they were both dueling for the same person: Mai Valentine. Joey had never really told Serenity about that duel and now her curiosity had been sparked. She begged him to tell her why he was suddenly acting strangely, so he finally agreed. After all there was no way he could resist those innocent pleading eyes looking up at him. So Joey began to tell Serenity all about his duel with Varon.

"So that guy tried to take your soul?" said Serenity with an astonished look on her face at the unusual story her brother had just told her "T-That jerk!"

"Varon's not dat a bad guy though" said Joey as he and Serenity finally reached the street that Domino High was located on "Annoying yes, but bad no"

Joey obviously didn't hold a grudge against this "Varon", and kept insisting he wasn't that bad. Serenity wasn't convinced though and didn't like this "Varon" guy one bit. Not only because he tried to take Joey's soul, but because he had belonged to an organization that wanted to wipe out humanity. The idea of such a person being out there was a little scary, but hopefully she'd never meet him. There was one other thing that she just didn't like at all...

"_It's a shame that his name is so similar to Valon's" _thought Serenity as she finally reached the front steps of the high school _"Especially since Valon is a really good person"_

Thinking of Valon's warm friendly smile, made Serenity smile as well. She then waved goodbye to Joey and quickly ran up the stairs since she just had a few minutes to get to class. _Being late to Mr. Foster's class is never a good thing..._

"Mr. Kaiba sir" said Roland as he walked into Seto's office holding a manila envelope which he immediately handed to Seto "I did what you asked me to and here's what I found"

"I knew I could count on you" said Seto as he looked at the envelope, opened it up, and took out all of the papers "Now lets see what we have here"

Even though Seto had given him very little information, Roland had once again pulled through. As Seto looked at the first few pages, he noticed the first unusual thing. Apparently the young man wasn't named "Valon", his name was actually Varon. Then again Serenity might have said "Varon" but he simply misheard it. As Seto continued reading he soon learned other things about the young man. Varon had been born in Sydney, Australia and he had grown up in the orphanage where had been abandoned after birth. The orphanage was run by a nun and Varon lived there until he was about thirteen years old

_"So he's an orphan too?" _thought Seto for a split second since he too knew the pain of what it was like to live in an orphanage _"Well lets see what else Roland found"_

For some reason the orphanage and the neighboring church went up in flames. Unfortunately the nun had been inside at the time and perished as a result of the fire. On this same day, Varon ended up getting arrested. Apparently he had attacked some men and was charged with first degree assault and murder. So Varon was sent straight to prison where he was so agressive that he had to be kept in solitary confinement. When he was fourteen years old, he was shipped off to an island and shortly after this he got out of prison.

"_What?" _thought Seto as his eyes widened in apparent shock when he realized the kind of person Serenity was associating with _"Does she realize how much danger she's in!"_

Despite having already found something that could incriminate Varon, Seto decided to continue reading. After all if Varon was an ex-convict there was no telling what other things he might have done. What Seto found next proved to be far more incriminating than the fact Varon had been in prison. It was also something that filled Seto with rage and increased his hatred towards the young Aussie. After Varon was released from prison he was obviously still just a boy and therefore needed a legal guardian. He found someone who took legal guardianship of him and that person was Dartz. So from that day on Varon began to work at the Paradise Corporation, which was in reality the Doom Organization. As soon as Seto read this, he crumpled the paper in his hand, and clenched his teeth. When the Doom Organization bought out Kaiba Corp, they severely damaged the company's stock and reputation. _It's taken me years to restore my company's image..._

"I can't let her be around him" hissed Seto through his clenched teeth as a his right eye began to twitch very violently "I won't allow it!"

At this point Seto knew that he was going to have to take action as quickly as possible. Not only was Varon an ex-convict but he had also been a member of the Doom Organization. Although Amelda was also a former Doom member, Seto didn't really hold resentment towards him. Then again Amelda wasn't interested in the same girl hewas. Seto was also almost certain that Serenity had no idea the kind of person that Varonwas, so he knew exactly what he had to do. _Then he'll be out of the picture forever..._

_"I hope that Raphael doesn't mind that I'm taking so long" _thought Amelda to himself as he walked towards the main door leading out of the building _"Then again I have a feeling he won't"_

After following Constantina all the way down to the lobby and making sure she went back to her studio, Amelda was satisfied. After all if any sort of information about Azure made it over to Obsidian, they'd know exactly who provided it. If this happened then Raphael would waste no time in tossing Constantina out on the street. As Amelda prepared to head back up the elevator, he looked at the main entrance for a few seconds. It was a very sunny day and it was probably one of the last they'd have since the weather was getting colder and colder. He figured that as long as he was down there, he'd might as well take a short walk. As soon as he stepped out of the building though, he ran into unexpected company...

"Well well isn't this a coincidence?" sneered Stan as he looked Amelda right in the eye and narrowed his green eyes "You saved me the trouble of hunting you down"

"What the Hell do you want?" growled Amelda since this stupid waste of a human being was the last thing he wanted to see at that moment "I don't have time for idiots like you"

"I'm not going anywhere" said Stan in a very threatening tone of voice as he stepped in Amelda's way and refused to let him pass "We have lots of catching up to do"

"Oh is that so?" said Amelda as he tried to hold back laughter since he was now convinced that Stan was just as crazy as his mother "If I recall we have nothing to talk about at all"

"STAN!"

"Huh?"

"Why are you walking so quickly?" whined Arielle as she suddenly appeared and walked up right to them with a look of pain on her face"You know I can barely walk in these shoes!"

"Well who told you to wear those things?" snapped Stan who honestly felt like picking her up and tossing her onto the street "Now deal with it!"

Arielle began to whine even more, so Amelda decided to look down and see just what her problem was. As soon as he got a look at her feet, he realized it was no wonder she was complaining so much. The heels she were wearing were at least four inches high and had paper thin soles. So apparently this girl wasn't just a crazy sadist, she was also a masochist. Then again it served her right for being stupid and vain enough to wear such uncomfortable shoes. What Amelda didn't realize was that he had made a terrible mistake by looking down at the girl's shoes. This momentary distraction was the opportunity that Stan had been waiting for...

**POW**

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" shouted Stan right as he punched Amelda in the back as hard as he could "I'm going to make you pay for interfering in my business!"

"Bastard!" hissed Amelda through clenched teeth as he fell to knees from the force of the punch "You're nothing but a piece of-"

At that moment Stan kicked him in the ribs which caused him to roll over and land flat on his back. He then attempted to stomp his chest, but Amelda rolled out of the way just in time. He quickly got up and wasted no time in returning the kicks and punches with full force. Stan soon learned that although he didn't look it, Amelda was a very tough fighter. Then again as Amelda soon learned, Stan wasn't exactly a weakling either. They continued to fight like crazy while Arielle just stood there with a look of shock on her face. _What are they even fighting about?_

"Hey so why were you out on the street?" asked Alex as he and his sister Alexandria headed towards the Azure Inc building "Did "she" send you out for something?"

"Why I was out looking for you!" said Alexandria jokingly as she suddenly dropped a package she was carrying and grabbed Alex by the arm "Now come on! Constantina is waiting for you!"

"That's not funny!" cried Alex as he quickly pulled away from his sister with a look that resembled a deer caught in the headlights "Just thinking of that woman makes my cheeks hurt"

Alexandria just laughed since she loved to tease her little brother, but then they heard someone shout out profanities. Along with these profanities, they also heard the sounds of blows being exchanged. They immediately realized that there was a fight going on somewhere up ahead. Suddenly the loud thump of a body hitting the pavement was heard. The two redheads exchanged confused glances before suddenly taking off in the direction that the sound had come from.

"You think you can have Tea don't you?" hissed Stan who was badly bruised and beaten as he slowly pulled himself off of the ground "She's going to be for me!"

"She'll never be for you!" spat Amelda who was also pretty bruised and beaten, but not as badly as Stan "She'd never stoop so low"

"_Tea? They're fighting over her?_" thought Arielle as the look of shock on her face suddenly turned into one of pure hatred "_WHAT DOES EVERYONE SEE IN THAT BITCH?_"

Stan got so furious when he heard what Amelda said, that charged towards him and punched him right in the face. Amelda ended up flying backwards and landed flat on his back right in front of Arielle. She immediately looked down at him with a look on her face that channeled the rage she was currently feeling. Although Arielle was looking at Amelda, she didn't see him. In her mind she saw Alex lying there looking up at her wearing one of his trademark smiles. _He's happy because he's thinking her!_

"YOU BASTARD!" screamed Arielle who went temporarily insane from the rage as she looked down at who she believed to be Alex "I'll wipe that stupid smile off your face!"

So she wasted no time in wiping the off smile the only way she knew how: by kicking him right in the face. When Stan saw what had happened, a smile of triumph came across his face. He also gave a shout of approval, but it was someone else's shouting that brought Arielle back into reality...

"Oh my God!" shouted Alex as he and Alexandria ran up just in time to what Arielle had done "What the Hell did you just do to him?"

"Huh?" said Arielle as she suddenly turned around and was shocked to see Alex and his sister standing there staring at them "Alex?"

Only then did Arielle look down and immediately screamed in horror at the sight. There at her feet lay an unconscious Amelda with blood dripping from the side of his mouth onto the sidewalk. On the side of his forehead was an enormous cut which happened to be in the same spot as the bruise she gave Alex. Unfortunately this injury was far worse than anything she had done to Alex. Although Arielle was obviously tramatized by what she was seeing, Stan's only concern was getting away. So he immediately grabbed her by the arm and ran off with her as quickly as possible. _This idiot could be dead for all I know..._

"Those bastards!" cried a very anguished Alex as he immediately knelt down beside Amelda and realized the condition they had left him in "How could they just run off like that?"

"Because they're heartless that's why" said Alexandria as she cautiously knelt down beside her brother and looked at Amelda "But right now he has to get to the hospital!"

So Alexandria asked her brother to stay with Amelda and call the paramedics. In the meantime she ran into the building and straight to the elevator that led up to Raphael's office. After all Amelda was not only his assistant, but one of his closest friends. He had to know what had happened and just how serious his condition was. _He has to know everything that Alex and I just saw..._

_"Oh I hate it when Dr. Lestrange sends me here" _thought a lone nurse at she nervously stared at the keys in her hand and then at the large steel door in front of her _"I'm not sure if I'll come out alive"_

Although working in the prison was frightening enough, there was one place everyone truly feared. The place was the ward where the most criminally insane prisoners were housed. Because of this the entire ward was protected by a heavy steel door that was always kept locked. The only person who had the key was the head psychiatrist Dr. Lestrange. Every once in awhile though, the doctor would send the nurse in to check on the patients. Although the only thing she had to do was open a small slot and peer into the cells, she was still frightened. After all once in awhile she'd have someone reach through the slot and attempt to hurt her. She had already been punched, clawed, and nearly choked on several occasions. Luckily it seemed this would be one of the good days since no one had attempted to hurt her yet. Then again she hadn't reached the cell that housed the most insane criminal of all...

_"He clawed my face the last time I was here" _thought the nurse as she nervously opened up the slot on the cell door and peered inside _"Please let him be asleep for the love of-"_

As soon as the nurse peered inside her eyes grew as wide as saucers. The large padded cell that housed the most insane man on premises was completely empty...

"DR. LESTRANGE!" screamed the nurse at the top of her lungs as her heart filled immediately filled with terror "HE'S ESCAPED! ODYSSEUS ESCAPED!"

Without further thinking the nurse ran out of the psychiatric ward and straight towards Dr. Lestrange's office. Not only was Odysseus the most insane prisoner, he was also the most dangerous. He was extremely violent and would brutally attack anybody who came near him. It was probably for this same reason that only Dr. Lestrange and the same two orderlies, were the only ones who ever entered his cell. _How could this have happened?_

**Several Hours Later**

"Hey Tea ya gonna eat dat snowpea?" asked Joey as he pointed his chopsticks at a lone snowpea sticking out of Tea's soup bowl "If not can I have it?"

"Although I did plan to eat it" said Tea jokingly as she looked down at the snowpea before smiling and holding her bowl out for Joey "I'm in such a good mood I'll let you have it"

"Den I guess dat makes two of us!" said Joey as he happily grabbed the snowpea, popped it in his mouth, and began to munch away "Bein' in a good mood I mean"

Thanks to the fact that both the college and university took the same day off, Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Tristan got to hang out. So far they had roamed the mall, gone into a music store, seen a movie, and roamed around the mall some more. As usual though, Joey began to get really hungry and wanted to go eat somewhere. Although the mall had a foodcourt, Joey said he knew of a good Chinese restaurant. As soon as they got there, they realized that that he hadn't been kidding. The food was great and the decor was pretty amazing. Although it was meant to be a happy and carefree day, not everyone was feeling this way...

_"I know I'm with my friends which means everything should be great" _thought Yugi as he poked at a lone dumpling on his plate _"But something doesn't feel right"_

_"Serenity..." _thought Tristan as he sulked and simply stared at the untouched pile of Mongolian beef sitting on his plate _"Will I ever be able to make you understand how I feel about you?"_

"Hey guys?" said Tea as she reached over and gently tapped both Yugi and the Tristan which seemed to have startled them "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong?" said Tristan as he quickly forced a smile onto to his face and pretended not to know what Tea was talking about "What makes you think anything is wrong?"

"Ya haven't touched dat plate" said Joey as he motioned at the delicious looking plate of beef in front of Tristan "If ya don't want it den I'd be more den happy ta eat it!"

"Hey I was just waiting for it to cool down!" said Tristan as he picked up his chopsticks and stuffed a few pieces of the now cold beef in his mouth "Mmm now it's just perfect"

"Although I'm not sure if you're joking or not Tristan" said Tea as she kept her dark blue eyes on Yugi the entire time "I know that something is bothering you Yugi"

"Yeah even I coulda told ya dat" said Joey as eyed the dumpling on Yugi's place before glancing up at the spiky haired boy "What's wrong Yuge?"

"Well...I know this might sound sound a little silly" said Yugi as he raised his head which allowed them to see the worried look in his violet eyes "But I woke up feeling as if though something bad might "

Although Yugi expected his friends to possibly laugh and say he was being silly, none of them did. In fact a look of worry came across Joey and Tristan's faces as they exchanged glances. Tea also had a worried look on her face, but strangely enough her expression softened and she spoke. She told Yugi that she too had felt the exact same way that morning. In fact she had been worried up to the point where they met up at the mall, but then things changed. As soon as they started hanging out, memories of happier times filled her mind. It had been such a great day in fact that she soon realized that she had been worried about nothing.

"Although I have to admit I was worried about this day" said Tea with a sincere smile as she looked at the three young men seated in front of her "Now it feels like one of the best ones I've ever had"

"Why's that?" asked Tristan as he looked over at Tea since he honestly had no clue what on Earth she was talking about "What made you change your mind?"

"Because any day I hang out with you guys" said Tea with a slight laugh since she could only imagine how cheesy she sounded "Can't possibly be a bad day"

"Dat's da way I feel too" said Joey who was now picking at some of the beef on Tristan's plate now that he was momentarily distracted "Den again what da ya guys think?"

"Well I guess Tea's kinda right" said Tristan as he caught sight of what Joey was going and quickly pulled the plate closer to himself "Then again I'm a little worried about what Yugi said"

"Well I'm pretty sure it's nothing" lied Yugi as he finally picked up the dumpling on his plate and looked at it "Maybe it'll just turn out that Grandpa wants to give me more work at the game shop"

Although Yugi hated lying to his friends more than anything, he had to do it this time. He didn't want them to freak out and worry just because he had a strange feeling. So in order to complete the illusion of wellness, Yugi popped the dumpling in his mouth and smiled as best as he could. It seemed to work since his friends smiled right back at him, but then Tea gave a yelp of surprise. She was having so much fun that she had forgotten that she had to go to work. Now she had only fifteen minutes to get home, put her uniform on, and head over to "Von Schroeder's". So after Tea said goodbye to her friends, she quickly dashed out the door. _Maybe me being late for work is the bad thing that Yugi was sensing..._

_"W-What's going on?" said Amelda as he opened his eyes and looked around "Why am I back here?". Once again he was in the strange dark foggy place where had encountered Miruko and Tea. Only this time he found himself completely alone and there was no sign of anyone at all. Not even the mysterious street lamp and bench seemed to be around. "Hello?" shouted Amelda as he felt the air around him grow colder and colder by the minute "Is anyone there?". "The final step has been taken" suddenly echoed a soft, feminine, and almost familiar voice "The darkness has risen". Amelda realized that this was the exact same voice he had heard in several of his dreams. But where was it coming from? A few seconds later a light began to glow brightly and the fog immediately subsided. Although Amelda expected to see the street lamp, instead he found himself looking down at a woman. His jaw suddenly dropped in disbelief when he realized who this woman was. She was a petite woman with neatly styled red hair and she wore a teal dress suit along with a lavender blouse. As she looked at him, her grey eyes softened and a sweet smile lit up her beautiful face. "My precious" said the woman as she immediately threw herself forward and hugged him "My precious baby!". "Mom!" cried Amelda who could no longer contain his feelings and immediately hugged her as tightly as he could "I've missed you so much...". The woman burst into tears as she clung to her son since it had been years since she last given him a hug. Only now did Amelda remember just how wonderful it felt to be hugged by his mother. "Amelda you have no idea how happy I am right now" said his mother as she sniffled and looked up at him "But I have something important to tell you". "What is it Mom?" said Amelda as he noted the worried look in his mother's eyes "What do you to tell me?". "The viper has risen and the angel will fall" said the woman as she looked up at her son with urgency in her eyes "You must protect the second one". "What?" said Amelda with a puzzled look on his face as he looked down at his mother "I don't understand". "You'll understand when the time comes Amelda" said the woman as she gently reached up and stroked her son's hair "Remember what I've said". She then took a few steps away from Amelda, smiled at him once again, and was completely engulfed by the fog. "Mom wait!" shouted Amelda as he ran forward and realized that she had vanished and that he was alone once again "Come back!"_

_"Come back..."_

"Come back..." said Amelda as he slowly opened his grey eyes and found a bright light being shone into them "W-What's going on? Where am I?"

"You're in an examination room" said Dr. DeWinters as he turned the light off and slipped it back into one of the pockets on his labcoat "I have to make sure you don't have a concussion"

It was only until after the doctor said this, that Amelda became aware of how much pain he was in. All of his muscles were sore, his ribs ached very badly, and his jaw hurt as well. The worst part though had to be the terrible headache he currently had. Although he couldn't remember what he did to end up like this, he was sure he'd never do it again. He then felt that there was something stuck to the side of his forehead, so he reached up to touch it. As soon as he did, the headache intensified, and he grit his teeth from the pain. It was also only until this point that he noticed that the doctor wasn't the only one in the room. To his right stood Raphael and Varon who hadn't left his side since they were informed of what happened. Oddly enough Alex was there as well for some reason...

"I'm glad ya finally woke up" said Varon with a huge look of relief on his face as he glanced down at Amelda "How're ya feelin' mate?"

"W-Why am I here?" asked Amelda as he closed his eyes a bit to relieve the pounding headache he had at that moment "What happened to me?"

"Apparently you got into a fight" said Raphael who was also very relieved to see that Amelda had woken up since he had been very worried "But luckily Alex and his sister found you in time"

"Y-You found me?" asked Amelda as he opened his eyes and looked straight at the younger redhead who had been quietly standing there "Do you know what happened to me?"

Much to everyone's surprise, Alex lowered his head and looked to the ground. He then began to mindlessly tug at the sleeve on the green and white track jacket he was wearing. Although Alex hadn't been the one responsible for what had happened to Amelda, he still felt guilty. Perhaps if he and Alexandria had shown up a few seconds earlier, then Amelda would be alright. After all Stan and Arielle would have run off like the cowards that they were. Worst of all now that Alex had seen what Arielle had done to Amelda, he regained the memory of when she kicked him as well. Now he felt that perhaps the only reason she did this to Amelda was because of the resemblance they shared.

_"That kick was meant for me not him" _thought Alex as tried to avoid eye contact with the people all around him while continuing to tug on his sleeve _"This is all my fault"_

"Son he just asked you a question" said Dr. DeWinters when he noticed that Alex was hesitating for some reason "Are you going to answer?"

"No...I mean yes but-" said Alex as he nervously gulped when he felt Raphael, Varon, Amelda, and his own father staring at him "It's just that-"

"Please tell me what happened" said Amelda in a very soft voice since he could tell that Alex was afraid to answer for some reason "I honestly don't remember why I ended up here..."

"You...you got into a fight with Constantine Von Furstenburg" said Alex as he finally felt the courage to get up and say what had happened "And you ended up getting kicked in the head"

"Well then I say we go find that bloke" shouted Varon with a sudden look of anger in his eyes when he heard this "And kick him in the head!"

"Actually he didn't kick you in the head" added Alex even though he kind of liked Varon's idea on how to deal with Stan "It was this girl named Arielle"

"Ahh Miss Beauregard" said Dr. De Winters as he picked up his clipboard and began to write down notes about the examination "The result of spoiling a child too much"

After going over his notes, Dr. DeWinters had come to the conclusion that Amelda was alright. He didn't have a concussion and there were no serious bodily injuries. The cut on his forehead also wasn't as bad as it seemed. Although he'd have to return so the doctor could remove the dressing on it and make sure it was healing correctly. Other than that, the only thing Dr. DeWinters recommended for Amelda was pain killers and plenty of rest. Amelda of course didn't look too happy when the doctor mentioned the second part. So Varon took the prescription slip while Raphael helped Amelda out to where the car was. While he usually would have protested at being taken home like a child getting sick during school, today he kept quiet. After all it was times like this that he realized just how lucky he was to have friends like Raphael and Varon. They worried about him and wanted to make sure that he followed the doctor's orders. As they began the drive home, Amelda also began to realize that he had done something he never thought he'd do. He actually ended up getting into a fight over a girl. Then again it wasn't just any girl, it was the one he had come to care for. _And I'd gladly do it again if I had to..._

_"I know you're up to something" _thought Constantina as she looked through a window over at the black obelisk in the distance _"But I almost fear to know what it is"_

After Raphael and Varon left, Mr. Anderson called Constantina and asked her to come to his office. She was almost certain that he would scold her for allowing herself to be discovered, but that wasn't it. When she got to the office which was located on one of the upper levels, she soon realized what he meant. Although it was still a fairly sunny day, there were was a large swirling dark cloud in the sky. The thing that had gotten Mr. Anderson's attention was the fact that it was hovering directly over the Obsidian Inc building.

"What is that thing?" asked Mr. Anderson as he walked up next to Constantina and stared at the eerie cloud in the distance "Do you have any idea?"

"I've seen it once before" said Constantina as she narrowed her brown eyes and swallowed hard at the unusual spectacle "It means she's up to something"

"Then I think she already started" said Mr. Anderson as he took off his glasses and began to wipe them with a cloth "Amelda was attacked earlier today..."

"No this is something far more serious" said Constantina as she pressed her hands against the glass which was as cold as ice "The last time I saw this it meant one thing..."

"What did it mean?" asked Mr. Anderson with a surprised look on his face as he glanced over at the woman in black "Tell me what did it mean?"

"Death..." said Constantina as she stepped away from the glass with a look of absolute terror in her brown eyes "Someone is going to die at her hands"

"WHAT?" exclaimed Mr. Anderson with a startled look on his face since he was going to have to take her word for it "But who?"

"I don't know" said Constantina as she took a deep breath and brought her hands up to her face "But I think that we should keep a closer eye on Raphael"

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Yay! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! You guys are the greatest ever! This chapter was supposed to go up with the last one, but I figured it was kind of confusing when I put two up at a time. As usual plenty of OOC warnings for the next chapter. Hugs and Kisses people:) (tosses chocolates and candy canes)


	19. Odysseus

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, The Odyssey, or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Odysseus**

_"I can't believe how late I am!"_ thought Tea as she glanced down at her watch while running through an alley at top speed _"I just hope I don't get written up"_

After running home and changing into her uniform, Tea raced right back out. After all "Von Schroeder's" had extremely strict rules about punctuality in order to keep their employees in line. If an employee was more than ten minutes late, they would recieve a verbal warning. If they were more than twenty minutes late, they they would be written up by the manager. If they were more than thirty minutes late, they they would dock their pay for the hour. Finally if an employee an hour late and didn't have a valid excuse, they would be automatically fired. Although Tea wasn't late enough to end up getting fired, she did risk getting written up. So in order to avoid this, she ran as quickly as her legs could carry her.

"I've only got five minutes to get there!" panted Tea as she finally came to a stop at an intersection and looked up at the "Von Schroeder's" building in the distance "I'm going to have to take a shortcut"

As soon as the light turned green, Tea jumped out onto the street and ran to the other side. She then headed straight into an alley that ran parallel to the street, and continued running. It was a good shortcut since there were no other pedestrians to slow her down. Much to Tea's delight she reached the end of the alley in about a minute and a half. _Phew! Now I'm only a block away now..._

"Lady Luck is definitely on my side today" said Tea as she took a moment to catch her breath "But today it's gonna be a little-"

**POW**

Before Tea knew what had happened, she was grabbed by the shoulder and struck across the face. The blow was so strong that it didn't give her any time to react. Suddenly her attacker grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against the wall. It was only then that she caught sight of the attacker and realized that it was a man. He was tall, unnaturally thin, his skin had a sickly greyish tinge, and his hair was long and very dirty brown hair. Overall the man looked like a zombie, and was absolutely the most frightening person Tea had ever seen. _Oh God help me!_

"You wretched little wench" hissed Odysseus as he suddenly wrapped his cold bony hands around Tea's neck as tightly as he could "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"HELP!" screamed Tea at the top of her lungs as she felt this lunatic tightening his grip around her neck "SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

**SLAP**

"SHUT UP!" screamed Odysseus after momentarily breaking his grip in order to slap Tea across the face as hard as he could "NO ONE'S GOING TO HEAR-"

Tea immediately kicked the man in the stomach, in an attempt to escape. It worked since the man reeled back for a second, which gave her time to run from the alley. Tea ran out onto the street and tried to get to the "Von Schroeder's" as quickly as she could. Suddenly she felt a strong blow from behind and realized that the man had just tackled her. They both fell roughly onto the sidewalk in front of Azure Inc, which eerily enough appeared to have a puddle of dried blood on it. Odysseus immediately stood up and pulled Tea up by the hair. Suddenly rapid footsteps were heard and two men immediately ran up to them...

"Tea?" cried Varon with a look of shock and anger when he realized that she was the one being attacked by this man "Let her go you bastard!"

"Let her go!" suddenly shouted Raphael who had heard Tea's desperate cries as he and Varon were returning to the building "I said let her go!"

"Make me!" hissed Odysseus as he defiantly bared his eerie gleaming white teeth and yanked Tea's head violently to the side "GO AHEAD MAKE ME!"

"Help me!" screamed Tea who was so terrified at that moment that she didn't know what else to do "Please help me!"

Suddenly Odysseus burst into insane laughter and pushed Tea in Raphael's direction. He then ran back in the direction of the alley, but Varon decided to follow him. The man was much too fast and managed to get away, but not before something fell out of his pocket. Varon growled in frustration, but decided to see what it was that the man had dropped. Much to his surprise he found himself looking down at three very old and extremely worn out photos. Although Varon didn't know who the people in these pictures were, something told him to hang on to them.

_"There's something weird about these pictures" _thought Varon as he walked back to where Raphael and Tea currently were _"But they might be a clue as to who that bloke is"_

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Raphael as he saw just how violently Tea's body was trembling after what had happened "Do you want to go to a doctor?"

"I-I-I can't go anywhere.." said Tea with as she tried her hardest to keep from crying after the horrible ordeal she had just gone through "I have to go to work..."

"Ya wanna go to work sheila?" asked Varon as he too noticed just how nervous and distraught Tea seemed at that moment "Are ya sure ya don't wanna go home?"

It seemed that nothing Raphael or Varon said would make Tea change her mind. She refused to go home and insisted on going to work. Then again neither one realized that she had no choice, considering her financial situation. Despite her stubborn behavior, Raphael and Varon knew they couldn't just leave her alone. They couldn't just leave her alone after what happened, so they decided to walk her to "Von Schroeder's" to make sure she got there safely.

"Another fight?" muttered Amelda as he lay on his bed and looked at the fight breaking out on the talkshow that was currently on "I can't believe people think this is real"

After Raphael parked the car at the sidewalk, Amelda was feeling pretty dizzy but he tried to play it off. Unfortunately he was only able to take about two steps before the feeling intensified and he fell onto his knees. Raphael quickly pulled him up, but decided it would be best to carry him to the apartment. Once they were in the apartment, Varon quickly ran off into the kitchen and Raphael took Amelda to his bedroom. The moment his body touch the mattress, Amelda groaned since his ribs were aching. Luckily Varon walked in a few seconds later with a glass of water so he could take his medication. He began to feel much better shortly afterwards, so Raphael and Varon felt a little less worried about leaving him alone. Although they did tell home one last thing before leaving...

_"Whatever you do, stay in bed" _echoed Raphael's voice vividly in Amelda's memory _"Remember that Dr. DeWinters says you need alot of rest right now"_

_"So that means no going out and wandering off like ya always do!"" _added Varon's voice jokingly as it also echoed through Amelda's memory as if though he were there _"I'll know if ya did mate!"_

_"How?"_

_"I have my ways...heheheh"_

As they both finally exited the apartment, Amelda gave an amused little smile. Although it felt strange having Raphael and Varon fret over him like they did, he understood why they had done it. Although it had taken him awhile to accept it, he had no trouble doing so now. Raphael and Varon were his friends, and friends looked out for one another. In fact if either Raphael or Varon had been in the same situation, he knew he would have acted in the same way. So in order to respect his friends wishes, Amelda decided to stay put. _Besides it's not like I really want to go anywhere right now..._

"Well this is getting pretty boring" said Amelda halfheartedly as he raised the remote since he grew tired of the talkshow "Lets see what else is on"

**Click**

"We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you a news bulletin" said a reporter with big thick glasses, thin moustache, and a bad toupee "Convicted felon and criminally insane-"

"Boring..." said Amelda who honestly wasn't really in the mood to see some last minute bulletin at all "Well time to see what's on another channel"

**Click**

"From Domino Maximum Security Penetentiary earlier this day" said an female reporter with a ridiculously large hoop earrings and a poofy perm "Authorities warn that he is extremely violent and a-"

"Why do I have a feeling this is on every channel?" asked Amelda as he quickly changed the channel in hopes of finding something else to watch "Well there's only one way to find out"

**Click**

"If you think you have seen this man please pay close attention" said an anchorwoman as she sat at the news desk with a puzzled look on her face "We're about to show you the most recent image of the suspect"

"And it looks like I was right..." said Amelda who raised the remote once again since he was determined to find something to watch "Now lets-What is this?"

At that moment the image of the suspect appeared and it was kind of disturbing. The man had long dirty brown hair, pale almost greyish skin, his teeth were clenched, and he had a look of insanity in his blue eyes. The anchorwoman continued to repeat the information, and this time Amelda did pay attention. Apparently the man had escaped from Domino Maximum Security Penetentiary's ward for the criminally insane. The man was extremely violent and would brutally attack anyone who came near him. It was for this same reason that the authorities were offering a reward of $100,000 for his capture.

"I don't think it'll be long before he's caught" said Amelda as he lowered his head a bit since he felt a little lightheaded due to the painkillers "Especially with the reward they're offering"

"So if you have information leading to the whereabouts of Odysseus Gardner" said the anchorwoman with a very nervous look on her face "Then-"

_"Odysseus?" _thought Amelda as his head suddenly snapped up and his grey eyes opened wide in surprise when he heard the name "_Odysseus Gardner?_"

"Please contact authorities immediately" said the anchorwoman as she put down the papers she had been holding "We now return to our regularly scheduled programming"

Even after the news bulletin was over, Amelda sat there with a baffled expression on his face. The name Odysseus was not exactly a very common name. In fact the only place Amelda had seen it was when he had read "The Odyssey". The only place he had actually heard it though, was in his dreams. Then again this was probably just some sort of unusual concidence. After all this Odysseus was obviously not the same one in his dreams. This man was middle aged and criminally insane, while the other was in his late twenties and sane.

"I'm also sure the Odysseus in my dreams doesn't exist" said Amelda as he looked over at his laptop which Varon had left on the nightstand "_Or does he?_"

The more Amelda thought about the dreams, the more uneasy he began to feel. After all he figured that Odysseus was nothing but a figment of his imagination, but what if he was wrong? What if Odysseus really did exist? After all he thought the Lady in Black was only a dream, but was quickly proven wrong. Not only was she real, but she was the person he had least suspected. Without further delay he grabbed his laptop and began a search for some possible answers. _I won't rest until I find out more about Odysseus Gardner..._

_"I still can't stop thinking about what Joey told me" _thought Serenity as she walked down the steps of Domino High School _"Why would someone want to steal souls?"_

After spending the day thinking about Joey's story, there were several things Serenity didn't understand. First of all how did this Varon guy have the ability to steal souls? Although Joey explained that he used a card called "The Seal Of Orichalcos", she still didn't understand. The second thing that Serenity wondered was why this guy was willing to steal souls. While it was true that he was stealing them, he was stealing them for a man called Dartz. Then again what would make a person willing to work for such a lunatic? These were all questions that Serenity wished she could have any answer to, but this would never happen. After all it's not like she would ever get to meet the infamous Varon that her brother had spoken of.

_"Then again would I even want to meet this person?" _thought Serenity as she observed the golden leaves falling down from the trees she passed _"I can't even imagine what he'd be like"_

"Serenity!"

"Huh?" said Serenity as she spun around when she heard her name half hoping to find herself looking up at Valon "Oh...hi Duke"

"Hey Serenity" said Duke who was dressed very nicely and looked as if though he were about to go out on a date perhaps "It's a nice day isn't it?"

"Yeah that's what I was thinking" said Serenity with a smile since it really did look beautiful with all of the lovely multicolored leaves on the sidewalk "That and it's not too cold yet"

While Serenity figured that it was probably just a coincidence that she ran into Duke, it wasn't. Duke had purposely dressed nicely and headed down towards Domino High in search of her. Duke wasn't able to forget Serenity no matter how hard he tried, so there was only one thing he could do. He decided that he was going to tell her exactly how he truly felt about her. Now that he looked down at Serenity, he knew that he was making the right choice. What he didn't know was that somebody had come up with the exact same plan he had...

_"I'm going to tell her exactly how I feel" _thought Tristan as he raced down the street towards Domino High with a bouquet of flowers in his hand _"If I don't do it now then-DEVLIN?"_

"Serenity you know that I've always appreciated you" said Duke as he tried to think of the best way to express what he was truly feeling "But now I really have to tell you this..."

"What is it Duke?" said Serenity who could never have imagined what it was that Duke actually wanted to tell her "Is it something serious?"

"Serenity" said Duke who despite his usual confidence was actually having a hard time getting the words out "I-"

"Hey Serenity!" shouted Tristan as quickly ran up to Serenity and gave her the bouquet of flowers "I thought you might like these!"

"Oh..." said Serenity who honestly didn't understand why Tristan seemed to pop out of nowhere at times "Thanks Tristan"

"What the Hell are you doing here?" growled Duke as he suddenly marched up to Tristan and looked at him menacingly with his green eyes "I was here first!"

"Well it's a good here I'm then" said Tristan as he narrowed his brown eyes and returned the evil glare that Duke was giving him "After all she shouldn't be alone around you..."

"Is that so?" asked Duke as his green eyes opened wide and the anger began to boil in his veins at what Tristan had just said "Well you're no better!"

_"Oh no not this again!" _thought Serenity as she had flashbacks to the constant arguments that Duke and Tristan had during Battle City _"Why do they always fight?"_

Serenity had been so naive and childlike during Battle City, that she never understood why they argued. She assumed they were arguing over pointless things, like Joey and Tristan tended to do. But now as Serenity heard what Duke and Tristan were shouting at each other, she finally understood. These two young men whom she had always considered friends were in reality fighting for her affection. Tristan accused Duke of being a womanizer who would only use Serenity and leave her. He then added that there was no way he deserved to have a girl like Serenity. Duke on the other hand accused Tristan of being petty and childish. He said that such a person would never be able to fully understand Serenity. Their words began to harsher and harsher until it reached the point that they were about to fight. Serenity couldn't bear to see what was happening between these two because of her. Especially considering the fact that she didn't have feelings for either one. She tried her best to interfere and stop them, but they completely ignored her and kept shouting. In the end Serenity couldn't take it anymore and ran away as quickly as she could. _I can't believe that I caused all of this..._

_"Why do I feel this way?" _thought Alex who was in his backyard kicking a soccer ball against the wall _"I've never felt this way before"_

After leaving the hospital once Amelda was taken home, Alex had just spent the day walking around. Now that he remembered that Arielle had mercilessly kicked him, it left him feeling strange. How could have gone for so long with absolutely no memory of what had happened? Would he have continued living like this, had he not witnessed Amelda being attacked? The thought of it made his head pound, so he looked up at the skyscrapers in the distance.

"What is that?" said Alex as his grey eyes opened wide and he stared at the dark swirling cloud hovering over Obsidian Inc "I've never seen anything like that before"

This more Alex looked at the swirling cloud, the more uneasy he felt. After all both his father and his sister were downtown at that moment. His father was currently at the hospital and Alexandria was over at Azure Inc. While he figured that maybe he was being silly, there was one thing that worried him. What if Stan tried to hurt either of them out of revenge? Then again Dr. DeWinters worked in place where there were lots of other people, while Alexandria worked for Stan's mother. _Even he's not stupid enough to try something like that..._

"Wait...Tea's also downtown right now" said Alex as he looked away from the dark cloud and looked over at the Azure Inc building "What if..."

Although Alex knew Tea worked in a place filled with lots of people, he couldn't be too sure. What if Stan decided to show up there and bother her? After all it's not like anyone would have the nerve to kick him out of "Von Schroeder's". Suddenly Alex felt a tingling sensation on his forehead which caused him to remember Amelda. Amelda had taken quite a beating and even though he seemed alright, it was obvious he was pretty hurt. What if Stan decided to track him down and take advantage of this situation? Amelda would never win in such conditions and would end up in the emergency room or worse. _I just hope I'm wrong and that everyone is alright..._

"I can't believe this..." said Amelda as his grey eyes widened as he stared at what was on the computer screen in front of him "I just can't!"

So far Amelda's search on Odysseus had yielded results that he never would have imagined. So far he had learned that the man's full name was Odysseus Laertes Gardner and that he was forty four years old. Odysseus had graduated from the University of Domino with the highest honors with a degree in Chemistry. Shortly after graduation, he was hired at Obsidian Inc's research department. Odysseus worked there for about a year before he ended up being arrested. The reason? He was charged with murdering five other chemists who had also worked at Obsidian Inc. Eventually Odysseus went to court where he was being represented by an attorney named Ulysses Anderson. In the end Odysseus was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison where he'd ended up going insane. There was no longer any way Amelda could doubt it, this was the same man from his dreams. _But what about Angel?_

"If he exists then she probably does too" said Amelda as he quickly typed something and continued with his search "I have to keep looking until I get to the bottom of this"

Amelda immediately went to the Domino Hall of Records website in hopes of finding something. This search proved to be the most difficult of all since there were many people in Domino with the last name "Gardner". After scrolling down several pages, he finally found what he wanted: Odysseus was indeed married. He clicked on the link and was finally able to see an actual copy of the marriage licence. As soon as the page loading, Amelda realized that the name of Odysseus' wife was Amneris Angelica Gardner. _Amneris?...where have I seen that name before?_

"Wait...Tea's nametag" said Amelda when he suddenly remembered where he last saw the name "That's where I saw that name!"

The situation was growing stranger and stranger by the minute, which only made Amelda want to know more. He quicklywent to a search engine and typed in "Amneris Angelica Gardner" to see if it yielded any results. A few pages did come up, but oddly enough the "Von Schroeder's" website among them. Amelda couldn't take his eyes off of the link to "Von Schroeder's", so he immediately clicked on it. He was then led to a page entitled "Cosmetics And Other Aesthetics". While this appeared to be a dead end, Amelda decided to scroll down anyways. The moment he did, his eyes were fixed on the picture right below the cheesy slogan.

"I'm seeing it" said Amelda as he stared at a woman who according to the website, was the manager of the cosmetics department "But I still don't believe it.."

The woman in the picture was a good looking woman with long auburn hair and pale green eyes. Her long hair was neatly pulled into a ponytail and she had a serious look on her face. There was absolutely no doubt about it, this woman was Angel. The strange thing though was that it seemed that "Angel" or Amneris, looked exactly the same as in his dreams. She still looked as if though she were in her late twenties, even though she was really in her forties. The more Amelda looked at the picture though, the more he realized something shocking. Without even thinking, he quickly went back to the Domino Hall of Records website and began a new search. _I have to confirm this..._

**Several Hours Later**

"Can you believe they fell for that?" said Mr. Moto laughed as he wiped some tears away from his eyes as he stared at the tv sitting on the counter "I just love these hidden camera shows!"

"Yeah...they're pretty funny I guess" said Yugi halfheartedly as he rested his hand on his chin as he paid little attention to the show _"But I'm too worried to laugh right now"_

"We interrupt this regularly scheduled program" said the anchorwoman as some music played in the background and the news logo came on "To bring you a last minute news bulletin!"

"What? No not right now!" cried Mr. Moto since the program was about to show a man who popped out of trash cans to scare people "It was just getting good!"

"Wait lets listen to it Grandpa" said Yugi as he quickly reached over for the remote and turned the volume up a bit "It might be something really important"

"At this hour police have intensified their search for escaped convict Odysseus Gardner" said the anchorwoman as she touched her earpiece at that moment "I'm also getting a last minute report that the reward for his capture is being raised to $125,000"

"Odysseus Gardner?" exclaimed Mr. Moto as his memory was suddenly refreshed and it took him back many years "I still remember his trial as if though it were yesterday!"

"You do?" asked Yugi as he turned his attention away from the television and over to his grandfather who had a very worried look on his face "How long ago was it?"

"Why don't you remember?" asked Mr. Moto as he glanced up at his grandson with a slightly surprised look on his face "You used to sit on my knee as we watched his trial on tv"

"Dad I don't think that Yugi would remember" said a female voice as a woman with short burgundy hair walked into the shop "After he was only two years old when it happened"

"He was?" asked Mr. Moto as he looked up at his daughter and couldn't believe that so much time had passed "But it feels as if though it wasn't that long ago"

"So you remember this too mom?" said Yugi as he glanced up at his mother as she walked over to the counter and took a seat besides them _"Just what did he do?"_

Suddenly a picture of Odysseus came onscreen and the news anchor gave a recap. According to Mr. and Mrs. Moto, the man had changed considerably. He had once been very handsome, but prison had obviously it's toll on him. Yugi began to wonder whether this man's escape that he had been sensing all along. After all he was very dangerous and everyone was in danger if he was on the loose. Mr. Moto noticed the look on Yugi's face and told him that he had nothing to worry about since Odysseus would be found eventually. Strangely enough he made this comment while heading off to lock the front door. _Well I can only hope that Grandpa's right about this..._

"This is it" said Amelda as he glanced down at the what was currently on the computer screen with an incredulous look on his face "There's no doubt about it now"

Although his search had taken several hours, Amelda found what he needed: Tea's birth certificate. When he finally located it, he clicked on it and his suspicions were confirmed. Tea Aida Gardner was born eighteen years before on August 18 to Amneris and Odysseus Gardner. If that wasn't proof enough, he had found that Amneris Gardner's home address was listed as 4900 Apricot St #24. _She looks exactly like her mother but with her father's hair and eye color..._

"Okay so they are her parents" said Amelda as he momentarily lifted his gaze from the screen and looked up "But does she even know about her father?"

That was something that Amelda was honestly wanted to know. Especially when he considered the fact that Tea was only two years old when Odysseus was imprisoned. Had her mother let her know that her father was actually in prison? Somehow Amelda doubted this and was certain that Amneris had hid this from Tea. Then again it seemed that this woman had lots to hide from daughter. After all how could she possibly explain the fact that she had belonged to The Society of Assassins where she was the top assassin? Or what about the fact that the only reason Odysseus was in prison was because her former master had framed him? Amelda was so caught up in his thoughts that he was failed to notice that someone had just entered the apartment.

**Knock Knock**

"Amelda?" said Raphael's voice from the other side of the bedroom door since he wanted to let him know who it was "Can we come-"

"Amelda!" shouted an extremely hyper Varon as he opened the door and simply ran into the bedroom like he always did "Ya won't believe what happened earlier today mate!"

"What?" asked Amelda as Varon quickly plopped down beside him while Raphael quietly entered the room but stayed on his feet "What happened?"

"Tea!" shouted Varon as he suddenly jumped up for a moment as if though he had sat on a thumbtack "She got attacked by this crazy bloke earlier today!"

"What?" exclaimed Amelda as his eyes opened wide since he wasn't sure if Varon was so serious, so he looked over at Raphael _"Is this true?"_

"It's true" said Raphael as he nodded his head when he noticed the look that Amelda had on his face "He attacked her and might have seriously hurt her if we hadn't shown up when we did"

"What happened though?" asked Amelda in a very subtle voice even though he felt a chill run down his spine "Is she alright?"

"Aside from the fact that was scared, she seemed alright" said Raphael as he recalled just how terrified Tea had been after the attack "Varon and I walked her over to her job though"

"You should have seen this bloke though" said Varon as she shook his head when he recalled exactly what the man looked like "He looked like he walked right out of a cemetery"

He then wasted no time in describing the man's' unnatural appearance to Amelda with as much detail as he could. The long dirty brown hair, the greyish skin, the eerie teeth, the long dirty fingernails, and those cold dead blue eyes. As Varon described Tea's attacker, Amelda felt a huge lump in his throat. He immediately headed towards the the Domino Police Deparment website in search of a picture of Odysseus. _This can't be a mere coincidence..._

"Is this the man you're talking about?" asked Amelda as he carefully turned the laptop around so Raphael and Varon could see the picture "Is he the one who-"

"THAT'S HIM!" shouted Varon as his sky blue eyes widened the moment he lay eyes on the picture "THAT'S THE BLOKE WHO ATTACKED TEA!"

_"WHAT?"_ thought Amelda who felt sick and almost delirious now that Varon had just confirmed his suspicions

"Odysseus L. Gardner" said Raphael as he moved closer and read what was written directly below the picture "Extremely violent and very dangerous"

_"He attacked her.." _thought Amelda as he swallowed hard at the thought of Tea being mercilessly attacked by this man _"Her own father attacked her"_

"Wait a sec!" exclaimed Varon as he suddenly sat up and recalled the pictures that he had stashed away in his pocket "When that bloke ran off he dropped these!"

As soon as Varon pulled out the pictures, he handed them to Amelda. The moment he lay eyes on the pictures, he realized exactly what they were. These were the same three pictures that "Angel" had given to Odysseus in the first dream he had about them. Although Amelda had heard the description of what was in each picture, he hadn't actually seen them. Now that he was finally looking at them, he finally knew what Odysseus had been talking about. The very first picture was of young Odysseus and Amneris smiling as they stood in front of a cake. This was the wedding picture that Odysseus had spoken of. Amelda then moved it aside and looked at the second picture. The second picture was of a very tired look Amneris holding a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. This is was the day that their "little angel" was born. Amelda then looked at the final picture and couldn't help smiling as he did. Little two year old Tea was wearing a frilly pink dress and smiling as she hugged a toy lamb. She was so adorable that it was no wonder that Odysseus referred to her as his little angel. _Wait... angel?_

_"The viper has risen and the angel will fall" _suddenly echoed the voice of Amelda's mother somewhere in his memory _"You must protect the second one"_

_"The second one?"_

Although Amelda thought that his mother was telling him to protect Angel at first, this wasn't what she meant at all. It was only until Amelda looked at these pictures, that he remembered that Odysseus referred to his wife and daughter as his "angels". So even though "Angel" was the nickname Amneris had used, this had nothing to do with her. Amelda's mother wasn't telling him to protect Angel, she was telling him to protect the second angel. It was only now that he finally realized that Tea was the second angel...

"I have to get out of here!" suddenly cried Amelda unexpectedly as he leapt off his bed and stumbled into the bathroom "Before it's too late!"

"What the-?" exclaimed Varon after Amelda's unexpected outburst and race to the bathroom "What on Earth are ya talkin about mate?"

"There's no time to explain!" shouted Amelda from inside the bathroom as the sound of clothes rustling was heard

"Amelda what's going on?" asked Raphael in a very stern tone of voice as he knocked on the bathroom door once "Are you feeling alright?"

At that moment the bathroom door opened up and Amelda emerged dressed in a black t-shirt, dark blue cargo pants, and black boots. He then went to his closet and pulled out one of the various black trenchcoats that he owned. It turned out to be a beautiful black trenchcoat with three shiny silver buckles at the bottom of each sleeve. He then put it on, slipped the pictures into one of the pockets, and intended to leave. Unfortunately he found that Raphael and Varon were blocking his path. _Even if I explained the situation, I don't think they'd believe me..._

"Can you please move? " asked Amelda as he tried to move around Varon but found himself standing in front of Raphael instead "I have to go!"

"What the Hell are ya talkin about?" said Varon as he looked at Amelda as if though he had completely lost his mind "You don't have anywhere to go!"

"The only place you should be going to is bed" said Raphael as he folded his arms and looked straight down at Amelda "Remember what the doctor told you?"

"_But Tea might be in danger again!" _thought Amelda as he looked around and realized that it looked like he was pretty much boxed in _"I have to find a way out of here"_

After carefully analyzing the situation, Amelda figured out exactly what he was going to do. He sighed and quickly agreed that they were right and that the only place he should be is bed. So he walked over to his bed, sat down, and reached into the drawer in his nightstand. Raphael and Varon assumed that he was looking for his medication, but that's when it happened. Suddenly Amelda rolled over his bed, landed on the other side, and ran for the door as quickly as he could.

"AMELDA!" shouted Raphael and Varon when they saw Amelda running towards the front door at full speed "COME BACK HERE!"

"_I'm coming Tea!" _thought Amelda as he threw the front door open and quickly slammed it behind him _"There's nothing that can keep me from you!"_

Despite the pain he was still in, Amelda raced down the stairs and made it down to the garage. The SUV was parked there, but unfortunately he didn't have the keys with him. Luckily he did have the spare key to his motorcycle which he kept in the drawer of his nightstand. So after putting his helmet on, Amelda leapt onto his red motorcycle and sped out of the garage at top speed. _I won't fail you Tea..._

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to the people who reviewed my last chapter! Ahh blushes it looks like I went a little crazy and made the chapter super long again. This was a chapter I wanted to do for awhile, so I guess I got carried away. I know why you're wondering why I made Grandpa be Mrs. Moto's father, uh it was just a spur of the moment thing. Oh and if you've read "He's A Lady" then maybe Amelda's coat sounds familiar :D. So thanks once again! Hugs and Kisses people! (tosses chocolates) :D


	20. Love And Hate Pt1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Love And Hate Pt. 1**

_"I can only imagine what Tea thinks of me now" _thought a lone auburn haired woman dressed in navy as she walked down the street while tugging a suitcase with wheels_"I wouldn't be surprised if she never spoke to me again"_

Despite the fact that she had been gone for nearly three months, Amneris was afraid to go home. Why? Because she knew that she was going to have to confront the person whom she had hurt the most with her absence. Amneris could only imagine how upset Tea must have gotten when she discovered the note she left for her. Especially since she didn't even let her know where she was going or how to contact her. To make matters worse, Amneris purposely made the note seem as if though she were going on a fun vacation. In reality this was far from the truth...

_"If I were to tell Tea why I keep leaving" _thought Amneris as she stepped off the edge of the sidewalk and pulled her suitcase down with her _"I'd have to tell her the whole truth about my past...but I can't"_

After Amneris left The Society of Assassins, it felt as if though she was living in a dream. She and Odysseus finally got married, they moved into a house, and were very happy. Their happiness grew even bigger when they discovered that a baby was on the way. The day Tea was finally born was also the day Amneris had to take a whole new look at herself. No longer could she ever think that her life had no meaning and that she'd be better off dead. Now she had a loving husband and a baby daughter who loved her and needed her just as much as she needed them. As long as Amneris had Odysseus and Tea, her life would be happy. Unfortunately things didn't stay this way for long. The Viper tore Odysseus from her side and shortly after this, the constant assassination attempts began. So even though she had left her old life behind, Amneris was forced to kill once again. Only now she wasn't killing innocent people, she was killing would be assassins. After all what would happen to her child if she were killed by The Viper's assassins? Amneris had to stay alive at all costs, since her daughter needed her. _Tea you're the only other happiness I still have left..._

_"I've killed at least thirty of those bastards" _thought Amneris as she stopped for a moment and gazed up at the full moon _"But luckily I haven't had to do it since I started going away"_

When Tea was a child, Amneris obviously couldn't leave her behind. This was why she was forced to break her vow, and kill once again. Over the years though, Amneris noted that the assassins only seemed to attack her on the street. They never really showed up at the small apartment that she currently lived in. It could simply be because there were too many witnesses, but Amneris wasn't going to take any chances. As soon as Tea finally reached high school, Amneris started going on her "vacations". In reality she was trying to lure the assassins as far away from her daughter as she could. Unfortunately The Viper sent Claudius to follow her, but she never stayed in one place for to long. As a result of all of this, no assassins had come after her in the past four years. _As long as my daughter is safe, then it's worth all the trouble.._

_"Anyone who tries to take my happiness from me" _thought Amneris as she slowly crossed the street with her suitcase _"Is going to regret the day that they-"_

**VROOM!**

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

**Screech**

Amneris' train of thought was broken when she heard an engine rev and quickly looked up. As soon as she did, she screamed when she realized that a motorcycle was heading right for her. It suddenly came to a screeching halt about six inches away from where she was standing. Even though she wasn't easily scared, this idiot on his red motorcycle had certainly managed to startle her. Meanwhile Amelda was also startled since he hadn't seen the woman until the very last minute. Then again she was wearing a navy blue dress, which was a very difficult color to see in the dark. The woman just stood there for a few seconds looking shocked, but this was more than enough time for Amelda to realize who she was.

_"It's her" _thought Amelda as he narrowed his grey eyes as he looked at the woman whose look of shock was now turning into one of anger _"Angel"_

"YOU IDIOT!" screamed Amneris at the top of her lungs as she looked straight at the man even though his face was concealed by his helmet "ARE YOU COMPLETELY BLIND?"

Amneris' temper flared and she began to shout and call Amelda every single name in the book. While she stood there ranting like a lunatic, Amelda simply stared at her in silence. It was hard to believe that this young and attractive looking woman in reality Odysseus' wife and Tea's mother. It was also hard to believe that before she became either of these things, she had been The Viper's top assassin. Even though Amneris may have chosen to forget this life, it seemed that someone wouldn't allow her to do so. After all The Viper probably didn't look too kindly on people who deserted The Society Of Assassins. _Her daughter may be in danger because of her..._

"So either get some damn glasses!" shouted Amneris who had pretty much said everything she had wanted to "Or take the bus from now on!"

With that Amneris grabbed her suitcase, got on the sidewalk, and muttered something under her breath that sounded like "moron". As Amelda looked at her walk off into the distance, he came to a very unusual realization. As unpleasant as it was, he and this woman had something in common. They both seemed to bring nothing but bad luck to the people that they loved. Odysseus was obviously the bigger recipient of Amneris' misfortune, but Tea wasn't exactly home free. After all it couldn't be a mere coincidence that Tea had been attacked by her insane father. Especially since it happened on the day her mother decided to come home. With that he turned onto the main street and headed towards "Von Schroeder's" as quickly as he could.

"Why would he do something so foolish?" said Raphael as he and Varon ran out of the apartment building and out onto the street "He can't be out in the condition he's in!"

"I don't know mate!" said Varon with a desperate look in his sky blue eyes since he was worried about his friend "But wherever he is we gotta find him!"

After Amelda ran out of the apartment, Raphael and Varon had no choice but to chase after him. Normally this would have been difficult since Amelda's slender body made him an extremely fast runner. Now that he was injured though, he was bound to be a bit slower right? Wrong. Despite their best efforts, Amelda easily outran them and made it to the garage first. By the time Raphael and Varon finally arrived, Amelda and his motorcycle were long gone. This left them with no choice but to chase him down and bring him back as quickly as possible. So they immediately ran out of the garage and headed out to where Raphael's black sedan was parked.

"We have to hurry and find him soon Raph!" cried Varon as Raphael unlocked the car and they both got in as quickly as possible"Otherwise he might get hurt even more!"

"But in the meantime there's another thing we have to do" said Raphael as he quickly put the keys in the ignition and started up the car "We have to call the police"

"The police?" said Varon as a dark and slightly nervous tone of voice since he despised anything that reminded him of his time in jail "Why do we have to call them?"

"To let them know we saw Odysseus Gardner earlier today" said Raphael as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and handed it to Varon "Just remember what he did to Tea"

"You're right mate..." said Varon as he opened up the cellphone and began to dial the number to call the local police station "No one's safe as long as that bloke's still out there"

Even though Raphael and Varon hadn't seen in which direction Amelda went, they decided to go downtown. After all it was the biggest and most complex part of Domino City and it had lots of places where a runaway person could try and hide. They were in such a hurry to get downtown though that they had failed to notice a black Mercedes parked behind them. A black Mercedes driven by someone very familiar...

"_I thought you were the one in danger Raphael_" thought Constantina as she sat in her car with a confused look on her face "_But now I'm not so sure..._"

After Raphael and Varon left the company a little early, Constantina decided to do the same thing as well. After all she felt more and more certain that The Viper was going to make an attempt against Raphael. If she did then Varon would be in danger as well since The Viper thought nothing of killing innocent people. So Constantina followed them to Apricot St. and patiently waited until Raphael came back out again. During this time though, someone's hysterical shouting got her attention. So she glanced over and noticed a woman yelling at someone on a motorcycle. As soon as she was done though, the woman got on the sidewalk and happened to walk by Constantina's car. _Angel?_

_"Now that I know Angel is here" _thought Constantina as she glanced down at the black leather cover on her steering wheel _"I think she may be the target"_

Even though she hadn't seen her in many years, Constantina never forgot Angel. Even though she now had lots of friends, Angel was the first true friend Constantina ever had. Angel was also the one who helped her escape from the horrible life that she had once led. A life in which she was merely a scared puppet doing the puppeteer's bidding. After leaving all of this behind, Constantina finally had the chance to persue a normal life. So even if Angel had angered The Viper long ago, Constantina still wasn't sure if she was the one marked for death. After all Raphael had unknowingly paid The Viper a visit and there was no way of knowing what went on during this time. If Raphael had indeed angered The Viper somehow, then this might be the day she took revenge. After taking a deep breath, Constantina pulled out onto the street and followed Raphael. _Better to be safe than sorry..._

_"Please let me make it home safely" _thought Tea as she exited the main entrance at "Von Schroeder's" and stepped outside onto the street _"Oh it's freezing cold out here!"_

When Tea arrived at her job accompanied by Raphael and Varon, nobody dared to scold her. After all wasn't every day a salesgirl showed up to work accompanied by a CEO. After being at work for a few hours, Tea was still feeling extremely nervous about what had happened. It was so noticeable though that her coworkers asked her what was wrong. As soon as Tea told them the truth, none of them could believe it at all. In fact they all thought that it was probably better for Tea to go home. Luckily the temporary head of the cosmetics department agreed and let her leave three hours earlier than scheduled.

_"It feels like I just stepped into a freezer" _thought Tea as the cold air began to numb the skin on her face and hands almost immediately _"It's way too early for this kind of weather"_

Even though winter was still a few weeks away, Tea could swear that it had already arrived. The abscence of snow and holiday decorations was the only thing that proved that it wasn't really winter yet. As Tea began to take a few steps, she immediately regretting not bringing a coat. After all the dress jacket, skirt, silk scarf, and pantyhose that made up her uniform were hardly enough to keep anyone warm. She decided that maybe she should walk quickly too see if it would help warm her up a bit. This wouldn't be too difficult though since the streets were practically empty which meant she'd be home within twenty minutes. As she rushed down the street, she looked up and noticed the full moon in the sky.

_"It looks so beautiful" _thought Tea as she turned around a corner and noticed a light of some sort coming down the road at full speed _"But I think I'd rather admire it from the safety of my apartment"_

_"Just one more block and I'll be there" _thought Amelda as he sped down the street going at least forty miles over the speed limit _"I just wish I knew exactly what part of the store she works in"_

_"I'd better try to walk under the streetlights" _thought Tea as she moved towards the edge of the sidewalk in order to get closer to the lights _"That way I can avoid more unpleasant incidents"_

_"Hey there's a woman up ahead" _thought Amelda as he noticed a woman dressed completely in black with a pink scarf around her neck _"And I think she works at the same place as Tea "_

While Amelda was determined to find Tea, he honestly didn't know where to look. After all "Von Schroeder's" was located in a massive building filled with all sorts of departments that catered to the needs and wants of Domino's upper class. Unfortunately this also meant that Tea could be anywhere and it might take hours to locate her. Now that Amelda had spotted a "Von Schroeder's" female employee, then maybe there was hope. After all this woman might know Tea and would be able to tell him where he could find her. Meanwhile Tea was still walking and wondering why people on motorcycles always drove as if though they had a deathwish. Suddenly the red motorcycle made an insane U-turn and came to a sudden stop right in front of her on the sidewalk.

_"I can't believe this!" _thought Amelda as he glanced over and couldn't believe that the woman he had spotted happened to be Tea_ "Talk about luck"_

_"Oh God..." _thought Tea as she nervously took a step back as she saw this man wearing a black helmet with a visor so dark that she couldn't see his face _"Not again..."_

Tea didn't know who this guy was and what he wanted, but she didn't care to find out. She immediately started running and had no intention of stopping until she reached home. Suddenly she heard rapid footsteps behind her and before long someone grabbed her arm.

"No let me go!" cried Tea at the top of her lungs since she had an immediate flashback to what had happened earlier "LET ME GO!"

"Wait calm down Tea it's me!" cried Amelda who as he quickly spun her around so she could see who it was "Amelda"

"Amelda?" said Tea as she glanced up at him and was immediately relieved to see that it wasn't a crazy person "For a moment I-"

The moment Tea saw the condition Amelda was in, a look of shock came across her face. His handsome face was now marred by several large bruises, most notably on his cheek and jaw. The bruises appeared to be a deep purple color on Amelda's unusually fair skin. His usually neatly styled hair was now in complete disarray, but this allowed Tea to notice another thing. On the side of his forehead was a white dressing which obviously indicated that he had some sort of laceration under there. _Could he have gotten into an accident on that motorcycle?_

"Amelda..." said Tea as her dark blue eyes filled with a look of concern as she gazed up at him "What happened to you?"

"Oh..uh.. just a little mishap" said Amelda who felt a little bad about making her worry about the condition he was in "But how are you feeling?"

"How do I feel?" said Tea who at that moment honestly had no clue why Amelda was even there in the first place "I think I should be the one asking you that"

"Well Raphael and Varon told me what happened earlier..." said Amelda who felt his face immediately turning red as he looked down into her eyes "And I was worried which is why I decided to come see you..."

As soon as Amelda got the words out, he quickly diverted his glance to Tea's purse. He ended staring at a Kuriboh keychain that she had put on the zipper, but it's not like he was really paying attention to it. At that moment the only thing going on in Amelda's mind was complete disbelief at the fact that he actually had the courage to tell her why he was there. After all something about Tea made him feel and act just like an awkward boy who was in love for the first time.

_"Oh yeah real smooth Amelda" _thought Amelda who was feeling so flustered that he was completely unaware of how cold the night air was _"Blushing like an idiot is really going to impress her..."_

"_He was actually worried about me?_" thought Tea who couldn't believe the words that had just come out of Amelda's mouth _"And the reason he's here is because he wanted to see me?"_

The moment Tea heard this, she was overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of guilt. She remembered how she had once believed that Amelda was very cold, rude, and extremely unfriendly. This was just a mask though which he used to conceal his innermost feelings. Tea knew very little about the man behind the mask, but she seemed to learn a bit more day by day. Now she knew that he was actually a good person who genuinely cared about others in his own way. So as Tea looked up at Amelda, she had no choice but to accept the fact that he had been sincerely worried about her. Without further thinking she gave a smile, opened her arms, and embraced him as tightly as she could. _I feel so much better now..._

"You don't have to worry about me so much" said Tea as she felt the warmth of Amelda's body against her own at that moment "What happened was just an isolated incident"

"Tea...I don't think it was an isolated incident" said Amelda almost hesitently since he knew that he was going to have to tell Tea the entire truth "I think you may have been targeted"

"What?" said Tea as her blue eyes opened as wide as they could and a look of surprise came across her face "What do you mean I was targeted?"

"Did the man who attacked you, seem familiar to you?" asked Amelda who honestly feared what Tea's reaction to this news was going to be "Like someone you might have seen in a picture perhaps?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" said Tea as she abruptly pulled away from Amelda and looked up at him with a look of confusion "Why on Earth would he look familiar?"

"Tea I'm going to ask you something and I want you to answer me honestly" said Amelda when he noticed just how uncomfortable Tea had become with his question "What do you know about your father?"

The moment Amelda said this, Tea spun around and tried to walk away. He realized that he had just touched a sensitive subject which meant that perhaps she did know the truth. Either that or she thought that he was a lunatic and didn't want to listen to him any longer. Amelda couldn't take any chances though, so he ran forward and stopped her. It was only then that he noticed that her dark blue eyes were filling with tears. _What have I done?_

_"I never wanted to hurt her like this" _thought Amelda who felt pain when he realized what his question had done to Tea _"But I think she deserves to know the truth"_

"I-I don't know anything about my father since he died when I was only two.." sniffled Tea as she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her blazer "All I know is that his name was Laertes"

"Well...what what if I told you that he's alive?" said Amelda as he took a very deep breath and prepared for the worst "And that you met him this afternoon?"

"WHAT?" screamed Tea at the top of her lungs as a look of pure shock and rage came across her face "IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE?"

"It's not a joke" said Amelda as he realized just how insane his words must have sounded to Tea "Your father really is alive!"

"Why are you lying like this to me?" cried Tea who felt as if though she had just been slapped across the face "WHY?"

"Tea listen to me! Your father's name is Odysseus Gardner and he's been in prison for the past sixteen years!" cried Amelda as he reached out and grabbed Tea's arm as she attempted to run off once again "He's the same man you ran into earlier today!"

The moment he said this,Tea immediately began to scream and tried her hardest to break free. After all she believed that Amelda was just a cruel lunatic who had been playing with her the entire time. Unfortunately his grip was extremely firm and she had no hopes of breaking away from him. The only thing she could do now was call him every name in the book while fighting back tears of rage. At that moment Amelda's eyes were filled with a hurt look since he knew he had caused her so much pain. He had only wanted her to know the truth, but it had gone very badly. Suddenly he remembered the pictures that were in his pocket and held them up. If his dream had been accurate, then Tea's mother had an identical set of pictures. Judging by Tea's reaction though, it was as if though she hadn't ever seen them...

"W-Where did you get these?" asked Tea as her eyes opened wide and her body suddenly went limp "Where did you get these pictures?"

"They belong to your father" said Amelda as he handed the three pictures to Tea so she could see them for herself "He dropped them as he ran away"

Amelda's assumption had been correct, since two of these pictures were nothing new to Tea. After all Amneris neatly framed the picture of herself with her newborn and put it on the living room wall. She also did the same with the picture of little Tea, except she kept it on her nightstand. There was one picture though that Tea could find no explanation for at all. It was a wedding picture and her mother happened to be the bride in it. The groom was also someone Tea had seen before, but only in her dreams...

"Oh my God..." said Tea who had never felt so lost and so confused as she was feeling at that moment "This man is Odysseus the chemist..."

"Your father worked as a chemist over at Obsidian Inc" said Amelda looked at Tea desperately scanning the pictures over and over "I know that all of this is unexpected for you..."

_"This can't be real!"_ thought Tea as her arms began to tremble as she continued staring at the wedding picture in this hand _"This can't be my father!"_

"It's not safe out here right now" said Amelda as he reached out and attempted to take hold of one of Tea's arms "We'd better head back to our street"

"First you tell me all of this and then you just expect me to go with you?" cried Tea as she slapped Amelda's hand away as roughly as she could "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't want you to get hurt again" said Amelda as he ignored the stinging feeling on his hand and wished she could understand his true motives "I want to protect you and make sure you get home safely"

"Protect me? By telling me all these lies?" cried Tea as she immediately stepped back and prepared to flee "What the Hell is wrong with-"

No longer could Amelda hold back his feelings, so he pulled Tea into his arms and kissed her as passionately as he could. He loved her more than he ever could have imagined, and for this same reason he had to protect her and make sure nothing happened to her. After all if anything happened to yet another person he loved, he wouldn't be able to take it.

_"I love you" _thought Amelda as he continued kissing Tea, even though she was desperately trying to get away _"I love you and I don't want to lose you_

After a few seconds of struggling, Tea eventually relaxed and decided to return the kiss. This kiss quickly became far more passionate than the first one they had ever exchanged. Everything about that moment was absolutely perfect. Not only had Amelda found Tea in time, but now he'd be able to get her to a safe place. Yes it was absolutely perfect and nothing could possibly ruin it. Suddenly something hit him full force right in the stomach and caused him excruciating pain. It was only until he fell to onto his knees that he realized exactly what had happened: Tea had kicked him.

"You're crazy!" screamed Tea who was infuriated, scared, and completely confused at that moment confused "You're completely crazy!"

"I-I'm not lying to you..." gasped Amelda as he tried his best to stand up but the pain was too severe "Odysseus Gardner really is your father!"

All of this was too much for Tea to handle and the only thing she could do was run away as quickly as possible. She was in so much turmoil, that she failed to notice that a few snowflakes were beginning to fall from the sky. Amelda cried out her name and tried to run after her, but was in too much pain to do so. So he quickly staggered towards his motorcycle and immediately headed after her. _I have to get her to safety..._

"It's a Monday night" said Amneris as she walked out of Tea's bedroom with a puzzled look on her face "So where could Tea possibly be?"

Even though Tea always figured Amneris didn't notice what she was up to, she was completely wrong. Even though Amneris wasn't a talkative mom, she was a very observant one. She knew that Tea was a very responsible girl who would always do what was necessary without anyone having to tell her. So this is why Amneris found the fact that Tea was gone on a Monday night very unusual. After all Monday was a school night and Tea never really went anywhere on school nights.

"She's as serious about school as Odysseus used to be" said Amneris as she went into the living room and sat down on the couch "Maybe she just stepped out for a moment"

As Amneris reached over to pick up the remote control from the coffee table, she noticed it was a new table. It was completely identical to the old one, except for the fact that the glass was unscratched.

"_Why would Tea buy a new coffee table?" _said Amneris as she pointed the remote at the television _"I guess I'll ask her when she gets back"_

When she finally turned on the television, Amneris gave a content little sigh. After all tv was the only thing that allowed her to temporarily forget the troubles she had faced for the past sixteen years. After quickly flipping through all of the channels, Amneris finally settled on a reality show that was barely starting. Before the opening credits finished rolling though, the program was interrupted...

"We interrupt this regularly scheduled program" said the anchorman on the television as he started directly at the camera "To bring you a last minute update on the story we've been following all evening"

"Oh great..." said Amneris sarcastically and rolled her eyes since she hated it when the shows she was watching were interrupted "Did a cat get stuck up a tree or something?"

"At this hour police are closing off several streets in the business district" said the anchorman who spoke very quickly and hardly blinked "After two eye witnesses spotted escaped convict Odysseus Laertes Gardner in that area"

"WHAT?" shouted Amneris as her eyes opened wide as she leapt from the couch and ran towards the television "It can't be!"

She immediately turned the volume up as high as she could and sat there as the anchorman gave a quick recap of everything. Even though she was hearing everything, Amneris was still in denial. Perhaps it was all a mistake and it was actually another man named Odysseus Laertes Gardner. The moment the picture of Odysseus came up, Amneris gave a cry of angish. _It really is him..._

"Odysseus..." gasped Amneris as she suddenly backed up and ended up slamming right into the coffee table "Oh my God...Tea!"

For years Amneris told Tea just how kind, sweet, and loving her father had been before he was taken from them. Beyond this, Amneris kept absolutely everything about her husband a secret. After all she couldn't risk having Tea find out that her father was actually in prison. Especially since Odysseus was completely insane and unable to recieve any visitors. So in order to protect the image Tea had of her father, Amneris took extreme measures. She hid all of her husband's pictures and always referred to him by his middle name. Unfortunately now it seemed that the truth had been revealed, and it was only a matter of time before Tea found out. _How I've feared this day..._

"I have to call her and find out where she is!" cried Amneris as she ran towards the phone,but then noticed a folded paper next to it "Wait...what's this?"

Upon unfolding the paper, Amneris immediately recognized it as a work schedule from "Von Schroeder's". The surprising thing though was that according to the schedule, Tea was currently employed at the store. It also helped solved the mystery of where she was since according to it, Tea was working the 3pm to 9pm shift that evening. Without further hesitation Amneris jumped up, grabbed her purse, and headed out towards "Von Schroeder's" as quickly as she could. _I have to let Tea know that her father truly was a loving man..._

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to all you guys guys who reviewed the last chapter! Oh and thanks for the medal (puts it on) :). Phew I know this chapter is long but guess what? The chapter ran so long that I had no choice but to split it in half. blushes I'm kind of embarassed but I hope you'll enjoy the next part a bit more than this(it'll be awhile before it goes up though). Anyways you guys rock, so as usual: Hugs and kisses! (tosses heart shaped chocolates) :D


	21. Love And Hate Pt 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Love And Hate Pt.2**

"_She's not here either_" thought Amelda feeling himself grow more and more frustrated as he emerged from an alley "_Where is she?_"

Although Amelda had seen exactly what alley Tea had run into, it had been of no use. After riding down and reaching the end of the same alley, he felt as if though he had entered a labyrinth. In front of Amelda lay one large central alley with at least two dozen smaller ones running adjacent to it. It was obvious that Tea had run into one of these alleys... but which one? Amelda was determined to find her, so he began to ride up and down every single alley. Unfortunately the falling snow, soon made the asphalt nearly impossible to drive on...

"Dammit.." growled Amelda as his motorcycle skid right out of an alley, and finally came to a stop in the middle of a street "What next?"

_"This night just keeps getting more unusual" _though Raphael as he drove his car while wondering why it had suddenly begun to snow _"And not in a good way"_

So far Raphael and Varon's search for Amelda hadn't been an easy one. Although they planned to search every alley if necessary, this wasn't going to be possible. After all they kept running into police blockades as the search for Odysseus continued. Now they had no choice but to stick to the main roads, making their search even more difficult.

"So..." asked Raphael as he turned onto another one of the main streets that he was still being allowed to travel along "Any sign of him yet?"

"Not yet mate" said Varon as he attentively stared out the window for any sign of his missing friend "But I have a feeling that he's close"

Although Raphael and Varon expected to run into many people, that wasn't the case tonight. Downtown Domino was eerily empty, with the exception of the patrol cars and the police helicopters overhead. Either way nothing else mattered to them, except finding Amelda and getting him home. They would spend the entire night search for him, it it came down to that. Suddenly a single light about a block away, caught Varon's eye and he asked Raphael to stop. Only then did they make out the familiar red motorcycle and the person who was riding it...

"Amelda" said Raphael who felt an immense sense of relief upon having found the stubborn redhead "Thank God"

"We found him mate!" exclaimed Varon happily as he quickly rolled down the window and stuck his head out to shout "Amelda!"

"AMELDA!"

"What?" exclaimed Amelda as he spun around and his eyes opened wide in surprise when he realized who had called him "Varon?"

"AMELDA!" shouted Varon at the top of his lungs as Raphael began to drive once again in order to get closer "What's the idea of runnin' off like that mate?"

_"No I can't let anyone stop me right now!" _though Amelda as he felt a strange mixture of fear and determination at that moment _"Even if they are my friends.."_

Without giving it second thought, Amelda immediately sped down the street as quickly as he could. When he reached the end of the street, despite the slickness of the road, he made a sharp turn and vanished from sight. Although he knew his friends meant well, he had come too far to just go home. Besides if he did give up, then he'd be leaving Tea to fend for herself against the unknown. Raphael and Varon wasted no time, and immediately sped after Amelda once again. When they reached the end of the street, they found the red motorcycle. Unfortunately it's owner had already vanished from sight...

"Amelda!" shouted Varon as he jumped out of the passenger side of the car and ran over to the motorcycle "Don't think we won't find you and drag you back home!"

"I've always known that he's stubborn" said Raphael when he realized just how determined Amelda was to keep from getting caught "But never like this"

"It's weird isn't it Raph?" said Varon as his sky blue eyes held a slightly confused yet frustrated look in them "He was fine at first...but then he suddenly snapped"

_"I think I know what may be causing this" _thought Raphael as he momentarily gazed up and stared at the falling snow _"But for now it's just a speculation"_

After being attacked earlier that day, Amelda probably wasn't feeling fine to begin with. So when Varon suddenly ran in and told him about Tea being attacked, Raphael noticed how agitated he got. Perhaps hearing about the attack, caused Amelda to remember what had happened to him. Then again maybe he was shocked at the fact that someone would attack a girl as harmless as Tea. While this did make sense to Raphael, there was one thing that made no sense at all: Odysseus' pictures. Why did Amelda suddenly become so irrational after seeing them? _It's as if though he saw something in them that nobody else could..._

"Pathetic fools..." said The Viper as she stood at a window and looked down at the police helicopters flying over the city "You won't find Odysseus unless I want you to!"

"Hiss..." said Quetzalcoatl the winged serpent who was now tightly wrapped around The Viper's forearm "Hiss..."

The Viper then went over to her desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a familiar manila envelope. She then removed the piece of paper that contained Odysseus' employee profile. As she looked at picture on the profile, she couldn't help but laugh. After all it was amusing to know that this handsome young man, was now the wretched corpse-like puppet currently under her control.

"You thought you were so smart when you destroyed that serum didn't you Odysseus?" said The Viper as she wiped a tear from the laughter away from her eyes "You just never thought I'd use it to poison those five idiots"

"Hiss..." said Quetzalcoatl in an almost amused way as it began to flap it's shimmery wings excitedly

"But still I curse you to Hell!" shouted The Viper as her eyes filled with anger and she slammed her fists down onto the desk "After all I haven't been able to replicate that wretched serum to this day!"

"HISS!" said Quetzalcoatl as is suddenly raised it head and menacingly bared it's long white fangs "HISS!"

"This probably wouldn't be the case if Victoria were still here" said The Viper as she brought her free hand up and stroked the serpent's feathery wings "But I've found alternatives for now..."

Even though The Viper's top chemists created various mind control serums, she still wasn't satisfied. While the serums helped keep "The Flowers" under control, they all suffered from a common flaw. The flaw being that if the serums weren't readministered every thirty days, The Viper would lose control over top minions . This was something she simply couldn't afford after Angel and Victoria's abandonment. The neural serum that Odysseus created, was entirely different story though. In small doses it was a very beneficial neural medication. In large doses though, it became a mind control serum so powerful that it only had to be administered once. _All other serums pale in comparison to Odysseus' creation..._

"You've had sixteen years to tell me how it's made" hissed The Viper as she clenched her fist so hard that the veins in her arms bulged "But you still continue to refuse!"

"Hiss!" said Quetzalcoatl as it closed it's glowing green eyes and bared it's fangs in pure anger once again

"So now that you're under my control" said The Viper as she suddenly pulled the winged serpent off of her arm and tightened her hold on it "I'll see to it that you pay the ultimate price!"

The Viper immediately rolled back the sleeve of her blazer, and exposed the veins on her wrist. Without further thinking, She then took Quetzalcoatl and placed it close to the pulsating veins. The winged serpent immediately sank it's teeth into her arm, causing her to clench her teeth from the pain. Suddenly Quetzalcoatl vanished, and The Viper was left standing there with two bleeding puncture wounds on her wrist. _This pain is nothing compared to what you'll feel shortly Angel..._

"Now arise Quetzalcoatl..." hissed The Viper as her green eyes glowed like pure fire and a look of pure rage came across her face "ARISE!"

Suddenly a hissing sound so loud was heard, that it caused all of the windows in the office to shake. The Viper immediately ran to one of the windows and as soon as she did, she smiled with glee. Hovering directly outside was none other than Quetzalcoatl, but with a few improvements. The once tiny serpent was now a massive cobra covered in thick black armorlike scales. Clutched tightly in it's mouth behind it's two massive fangs, was what appeared to be a rag doll. The "rag doll" was in reality an unconscious man: Odysseus. Both The Viper and Quetzalcoatl's green eyes began to glow in an eerie and almost hypnotic way. Suddenly the serpent dove down, and headed towards the city below. _Now to kill two birds with one stone..._

_"Oh God it's freezing out here..."_ thought Tea as she shivered while cautiously peering out from the alley she was hiding in _"But I think I finally managed to lose him"_

Although the first half of Tea's day went extremely well, she couldn't say the same for the latter. It seemed that the moment Tea left for work at "Von Schroeder's", everything went straight to Hell. Thanks to the fact that she was late, she foolishly took a shortcut that led her straight to a madman. Luckily he didn't do too much damage since Raphael and Varon showed up just in time. Then when she was on her way home, she was surprised to run into Amelda. While at first she had been happy to see him, she now wanted nothing to do with him. In fact she had just spent the past twenty-five minutes running through alleys, in order to avoid him. Luckily several minutes had passed since she had last heard his motorcycle. _I think the coast is finally clear..._

_"There's just so much going on in my head right now" _thought Tea as she sighed and tilted her head up to see the snowflakes falling gracefully from the sky "_I mean why was Odysseus the chemist in the same picture as my mom?"_

Although two of the pictures Amelda had shown her were real, she wasn't so sure about the wedding picture. Then again there were other things that slowly made her realize that it might be real. The first thing was her mother's unusual behavior throughout the years. Although Amneris didn't speak very much, she had told Tea about her father. She could never forgot how her mother described him as a wonderful caring man who loved his family very much. Amneris always seemed to end by the conversation by stating that the day her husband was taken from her, was the worst day of her life. If she loved him so much though, why didn't she have a single picture of him out? Maybe it would be too painful to do so...or could it actually be for another reason? Could it be possible that she had purposely been trying to conceal the identity of Tea's father? _Could it be that Odysseus really is my father and that's why I kept dreaming about him?_

"But if Odysseus really is my father and those dreams were true..." said Tea as the snowflakes swirled all around her as they continued their gentle descent to the ground "Then he was sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit!"

Immediately an image of poor Odysseus, came into Tea's mind. His blue eyes were filled with a look of sadness and desperation as he sat all alone in a dark cell. Suddenly a woman's laugh was heard, which prompted him to immediately look up. Standing there looking down at him, was the green eyed woman dressed in black. The woman laughed mockingly, before her red lips curled into a sadistic grin. Odysseus growled and tried to attack the woman, but she vanished into thin air. Finally with a defeated look in his eyes, he simply lowered his head. He had been torn away from his beloved family, and he would never see them again. The more Tea thought about the blue eyed man, the more her heart began to realize the truth. A truth which had been hidden for the past sixteen years...

"O-Odysseus is my father and he really is alive" said Tea as she felt a single tear roll down her cheek as she was felt a strange mixture of joy and sadness "But I don't believe that stupid lie about him being the man who attacked me"

Suddenly a gust of wind so strong blew through the alley, that Tea was nearly knocked flat on her back. Luckily she managed to grab on to to a nearby dumpster, and was able to stay on her feet. As Tea let go of the dumpster, she looked up and was in for a surprise. Falling gently from the sky along with the snowflakes, were some small shimmery particles. Tea extended her hand to catch one, and was surprised to discover that it was actually a small feather. The feather was very soft and possibly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. With a slight smile Tea decided that it was time to go home, but then she felt someone grab her arm. _Why doesn't he get the message?_

"Look if you're here to make up more stories" shouted Tea as she immediately spun around and noticed the tall slender man whose face was hidden in the shadows "Then do me a favor and get lost!"

"My my aren't we an insolent one?" said the man in a strange raspy voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Tea "That's no way for you to address me"

Tea frowned in complete disgust since the only thing she wanted to do was go home at that point. She didn't want to deal with idiots who had developed a sudden knight in shining armor complex. Especially when said idiots made up lies and decided that it would be funny to do bizarre voices on top of that. After all it's not like Tea didn't know that Amelda was capable of such a thing. When the he lost his soul to Kaiba, Mokuba happened to mention that the redhead impersonated Pegasus almost perfectly. _How did I ever fall for such a weirdo?_

"I don't know what you're trying to pull" shouted Tea as she immediately pulled her arm free from his grasp and backed away "But go away and leave me alone!"

"You're just as bold as your mother aren't you?" chuckled the man in an eerie way as he finally stepped out of the shadows and revealed who he truly was "But you're a fool just like your father!"

"Oh my God..." gasped Tea in complete and utter horror when she realized that the man in the shadows hadn't been Amelda at all "You!"

"Not so brave now are we?" said Odysseus as he reached out and roughly grasped Tea by the arm once again "I guess you're not as foolish as I thought you were"

Although Odysseus' appearance was normally disturbing, the moonlight made him look absolutely ghastly. His unusual greyish hued skin now looked as white as the snow on the ground. His long dirty brown hair hung down limply like tentacles and concealed his eyes. Overall coupled with the fact that Odysseus was very tall and skeletal, he looked exactly like a zombie.

"You look almost exactly like your mother did at your age" said Odysseus as he suddenly tightened his grip on Tea's arm to the point of causing her pain "But you're nothing compared to what she was"

"Who are you?" cried Tea as she desperately tried to pull away from Odysseus but his grip was like iron despite the fact that he was practically a walking skeleton "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Why don't you recognize me my dear Tea?" said Odysseus as he continued holding on Tea who was still struggling to get away from him "Surely your dear mother has told you all about me"

"What?" said Tea as she momentarily ceased in her attempts to escape since this man was beginning to confuse her "What does my mother have to do in this?"

"It seems she hasn't told you at all" said Odysseus as he suddenly raised his hand and pulled back his hair in order to reveal his eyes "But perhaps this might help you realize who I am"

Although Tea had already seen Odysseus' eyes earlier that day, it was only now that she noticed something. Aside from the fact that his eyes looked dead, this man had dark blue eyes. The only time Tea had seen this eye color, was when she happened to gaze into a mirror. Never in her entire life had she encountered another person with the exact same shade of blue eyes. Also now that Tea was seeing this man up close, did she realize he had the same facial structure as Odysseus...

"Y-You're my father?" gasped Tea as she felt a big lump forming in her throat as the cold cruel reality began to sink in "NO! YOU CAN'T BE HIM!"

"SILENCE!" shouted Odysseus as he suddenly raised his free hand and slapped Tea across the face as hard as he could "That's no way for you address me my dear Tea"

"B-But if you are..." cried Tea as she brought her hand up to her stinging cheek and felt tears beginning to stream down her face "Why would you hurt me?"

"Because I can" said Odysseus sarcastically as he backhand slapped Tea so hard, that he managed to knock her down "Or do I need another reason?"

Tea ended up hitting the ground with so much force, that her purse flew several few feet away. She made no attempt to get up though, and instead lay there completely motionless. Although she initially felt a mixed sort of joy when she realized her father was live, the joy quickly turned to pain. Now Tea had to face the cold harsh reality that Odysseus was not the loving father she had always imagined. He was completely insane, and judging from his tattered uniform, he was an inmate at Domino Maximum Security Penitentiary.

_"Amelda wasn't lying to me" _thought Tea as she sobbed and slowly pulled herself up from the freezing ground _"The man who attacked me really is my father..."_

"My dear Tea..." said Odysseus in a calm tone of voice as he looked up at the sky and casually put his hands in his pockets "Did you know that your mother used to call herself Angel?"

_"Now I wish Amelda would find me!" _thought Tea as she took advantage of the fact that Odysseus was momentarily distracted, and began to back away from him _"I just want to go home!"_

"Since your mother is Angel" said Odysseus as he noticed what Tea was doing and quickly caught her by the sleeve of her blazer "Then that would make you little Angel"

_"Oh God he's completely out of his mind!" _thought Tea as she desperately clawed at Odysseus' arm in hopes of making him let go _"I don't want to be here!"_

"And compared to her you truly are an angel" said Odysseus who didn't seem aware of the fact that Tea had scratched him so hard that she drew blood "You're much too good to be the child of such a wretched woman"

"Stop it!" cried Tea who was so upset at that moment that all she could do was continue to claw at his arm "My mother is a good woman!"

"An angel like yourself shouldn't live with the damned" said Odysseus as he slowly turned his head towards Tea and gave a sadistic grin "So now I'm going to do you a favor"

"W-What are you going to do?" cried Tea as her eyes widened in terror as Odysseus casually put his hand behind his back "What are you-"

It all happened so quickly that at first Tea wasn't even sure of what had happened. Odysseus pulled his arm forward with lightning speed, and pulled it back equally as fast. He then looked right at Tea and gave an unusual smile that looked almost as if though he felt extreme satisfaction. Suddenly she felt a sharp cramp in her stomach, so she looked down. It was only then that she realized that she had the wooden handle of a knife sticking out of her stomach. Tea's eyes immediately widened, and she let out a scream so loud that it echoed throughout the alley. Odysseus then laughed and yanked the knife out, before kicking her in the stomach. She immediately fell to ground, while the wound began to bleed profusely.

"Why?" sobbed Tea as she looked up at the man standing there there grinning as her blood dripped off of the knife in his hand "Why?"

"You should be happy now Tea" said Odysseus as he looked down at her with a look and then at the bloody knife in his hand "Now you'll go to Heaven like the angel you are"

_"It wasn't supposed to be like this" _thought Tea as she continued to sob while clutching the bleeding wound on her stomach _"Not like this..."_

"So while you go to Heaven" said Odysseus as his eyes filled with fiendish glee and he raised the knife above his head "I'll be headed straight for the fiery pits of Hell!"

Suddenly Odysseus brought the knife down and plunged it right into his own stomach as hard as he could. He cried out in pain, took a few steps back, and collapsed onto the ground, where blood immediately began to pool around him. At this point Tea was also surrounded by a pool of blood, feeling her body weaker and weaker. As she lay there feeling her life slowly ending, Tea began to see different things. She saw Joey, Tristan, Yugi, Serenity, and smiling happily as they always did. She weakly reached out to them, but they vanished. Now in their place stood Raphael, Varon, and Alex for some reason. The three of them wore worried expressions on their face, but soon they too vanished. Now two people stood in front of Tea, but she only recognized one of them. Sweet little Miruko and an unknown redhead woman stood there, with a look of worry on their faces. Suddenly they also vanished, and in their place stood a lone person with a look of sadness on his face.

"Amelda.." said Tea as she immediately recognized the lone figure wearing a black trenchcoat "Please forgive me..."

Although she felt her life slowly ending, Tea sincerely regretted her earlier actions. Although Amelda had told her the truth and tried to warn her, she didn't believe him and went as far as kicking him. The only reason the redhead had done it was because he genuinely did want to protect her, but she didn't let him. Now as she lay there dying in the middle of an alley, she knew that she would never see him again. What hurt her the most though, was that she would never get the chance to tell him how she truly felt...

"I-I-I" whispered Tea as whose body had become as cold as ice and her heartbeat very slow "I-I love you..."

As soon as she uttered these last words, Tea's dark blue eyes closed and she was consumed by total darkness...

_"That was Tea's scream!" _thought Amelda as he ran down one of the dark alleys as quickly as his legs could carry him _"And it wasn't that far from here!"_

After leaving his motorcycle behind, Amelda decided to continue his search on foot. A few minutes into his search though, he witnessed something that shocked him. As Amelda was running down an alley, there was a sudden gust of wind so strong that it knocked him down. As he lay there flat on his back, he suddenly saw what appeared to be a giant black cobra with wings. Suddenly his mother's words echoed in Amelda's memory and he realized exactly what this winged serpent meant. _The Viper will rise and the angel will fall..._

_"The scream came from somewhere up here" _thought Amelda as he reached the end of the alley and noticed one directly ahead _"I'm not leaving until I find her!"_

The first thing Amelda noticed upon entering the pitch black alley, was a very unusual smell. While every other alley he had been in smelled like garbage, in this alley the smell was eclipsed by a metallic odor. As Amelda walked further and further, the smell got so strong that he realized that it was fresh blood. He quickly reached into his pocket and retrieved a small flashlight he kept on his keychain. He quickly turned it on and that's when he saw where the smell was coming from. There at his feet lay a man in a pool of blood with a knife buried in his stomach. It was only until Amelda shone the light on his face, that he realized who it was. _It's Odysseus..._

"The Viper must have done this to him" said Amelda as he knelt down beside the man and stared at the knife handle sticking out of his stomach "Or...could he have done it himself?"

As Amelda looked at Odysseus, he knew that either scenario was possible. After all now that the man had escaped from prison, it was the perfect chance for The Viper to finish him off. Then again given Odysseus' state of mind, he was perfectly capable of inflicting harm on himself.

_"But then why did I see that winged cobra?" _thought Amelda as he lifted his gaze up towards the sky for a moment _"And why did I hear Tea scream?"_

The more he thought about everything, the more Amelda realized that something wasn't right. It felt almost as if though a large piece of the puzzle were missing. Amelda immediately stood up and began to illuminate everything ahead of him. So far the only thing he could see was a graffiti covered dumpster, a few trashcans, and a black cat purring as it rubbed up against something in the snow. At first Amelda thought it was another black cat, until he realized the object wasn't moving. He quickly moved forward and illuminated the object, scaring the cat off in the process. Amelda immediately realized that the object was actually a black purse. A black purse with a Kuriboh keychain attached to the zipper...

"_This is her purse..._" thought Amelda as he picked up the purse and realized that it was indeed the same Tea had been carrying earlier "But where is she?"

Amelda continued shining the flashlight around in search of any clues of Tea's whereabouts. He soon noticed two sets of footprints in the snow, one of them made by high heels. These were definitely Tea's since she had been wearing that kind of shoe. Amelda began to follow her footprints and realized that they were heading right to where he entered the alley. The footprints seemed to be leading him back to where Odysseus was, but then he noticed something. Approximately six feet to Odysseus left, there appeared to be something completely black. Amelda's heartbeat increased as he walked up right next to the object and illuminated it. The moment he did, his eyes widened and he dropped his flashlight. Nothing could have prepared Amelda for the sight of Tea lying in a pool of her own blood, with a stab wound in her stomach...

"No..."

"NO!" shouted Amelda as he immediately threw himself down onto the ground and pulled her into his arms "TEA!"

Despite the fact that had been warned ahead of time, he had still managed to fail. The Viper had indeed risen, and she had taken two innocent lives in the process. If only he had just gotten earlier, then maybe none of this would have happened. While at first he tried to convince himself that perhaps it was all just a dream, the lifeless body in his arms made him realize that it wasn't a dream. Tea was gone and the only thing he could do was cry out in anguish.

"Why?" cried Amelda as he clutched Tea's cold limp body in his arms and felt the tears begin to escape from his eyes "WHY?"

As Amelda knelt there crying, he failed to notice that a police helicopter was shining light down on directly on him. Then again nothing in the world seemed to matter anymore. After all he had failed Tea, just like he had failed Miruko all those years ago. Now like every other person he loved, she was gone and he would never see her again...

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for all of the reviews guys! I appreciate it so much! Hey I just realized that I'm almost up to 100 reviews! Time for a party! (gives out hats and noisemakers). Anyways I don't know what else to say about this chapter, so I'll leave it this. Hugs and kisses people! (hands out cupcakes) :D


	22. Sins Of The Past

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Sins Of The Past**

_"W-What?" gasped Tea as she opened her eyes and realized that she was in a cold place shrouded in darkness "Where am I?". At that moment a loud hissing sound was heard somewhere in the distance, followed by a rumbling sound. There was something coming towards her, but she couldn't see what it was exactly. The only thing Tea could make out, were two eerie green lights. Suddenly she managed to make out the faint silhouette of a woman standing in the distance. "Who are you?" asked Tea who was unsure of who the woman was "Tell me!". "I am Quetzalcoatl" said the woman in a strange voice that sounded both male and female "And now that I've returned, I want to make sure all dues are paid". "Huh?" asked Tea as she stared at the enigmatic woman in the shadows "What are you talking about?". The woman didn't respond, but her green eyes began to glow in a demonic way. Suddenly she transformed from a woman, into a gigantic black cobra with feathery wings. Tea immediately screamed and tried to run, but her body was completely paralyzed from fear. "Now that I have you here little Angel" hissed Quetzalcoatl as it raised it's head and glanced down at the girl in front of it "You'll pay for your mother's sins!". Quetzalcoatl then hissed, bared it's long white fangs, and attacked the paralyzed Tea with all of it's force. Tea just screamed in anguish before her body went completely limp in the serpent's mouth..._

"No..."

"NO!" screamed Yugi at the top of his lungs as he suddenly clutched his chest and fell facedown into the snow "TEA!"

Although he had tried to convince himself that he was worrying in vain, Yugi was unable to do so. In fact he began to feel worse and worse with each passing minute. So while his mother and grandfather continued watching television, Yugi decided to get up. As he approached the door that led outside of the game shop, he noticed something on the sidewalk: snow. Yugi just stood there looking puzzled since it was still too early in the year for snow. Either way he was curious, so he opened the door and stepped outside. As soon as he did this, the image of Tea and Quetzalcoatl flooded his mind. Yugi also felt himself become overwhelmed with a feeling of fear and anguish unlike any other. The moment the serpent attacked Tea though, Yugi felt a strong pain tear through his body. The pain was so overwhelming that he cried out, and fell into the snow completely unconscious.

"Yugi!" cried both Mr. and Mrs. Moto as they reached the door upon hearing his sudden cry of pain, and found him on the ground "YUGI!"

"He's out cold!" cried Mrs. Moto as she threw herself onto her knees and began to shake her son as hard as she could "Yugi speak to me!"

"And speaking of cold" exclaimed Mr. Moto as he observed his daughter's desperate attempts to wake Yugi "Why is there snow out here?"

"Tea" suddenly groaned Yugi despite the fact that he hadn't fully regained consciousness yet "Tea..."

As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Moto heard what Yugi had uttered, they exchanged glances. It wasn't strange for Yugi to utter Tea's name since she was his oldest friend. Even when he was still a child, it was obvious that he had a huge crush on her. As they grew up though, the feelings appeared to have gotten much stronger. Suddenly Yugi's violet eyes opened and were filled with a look of anguish. _I know that something happened to you Tea..._

"What?" shouted Alex as he suddenly clutched his chest and landed face first in the snow "Tea!"

Since he was all alone and had nothing better to do, Alex decided to watch television. He soon discovered though that all of the channels were going crazy with last minute reports about an escaped convict. The moment he heard that the convict had last been spotted in downtown Domino near Azure Inc, Alex worried. Suddenly he heard the front door open and Alexandria came in. She was shivering like crazy and muttered something that sounded like "stupid snow". He didn't understand what she was talking about, until she told him to go outside and see for himself. As soon as Alex opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch, his mind was filled with an image of Tea and a strange woman. He was also flooded with strange feelings of anguish, fear, pain, and even guilt. The moment Quetzalcoatl transformed and attacked Tea, Alex cried out since he felt the pain tear through his body. He then fell facefirst into the snow, right as his father was pulling into the driveway.

"Alex!" shouted Dr. DeWinters as he immediately ran out of his his car and straight to his son's side

"Alex what are you-" said Alexandria as she walked over to the front door after hearing her brother shout "What happened?"

"I'm not sure" said Dr. DeWinters as he quickly pulled his son up out of the snow "But we have to get him inside"

"T-Tea..." groaned Alex who was completely delirious at that moment from the bizarre surge of feelings

Dr. DeWinters and his daughter quickly got Alex inside and promptly put him on the couch. He didn't have a fever, but continued muttering the name Tea over and over. The doctor and his daughter were completely perplexed, but then Alex opened his grey eyes. As he looked at them, they noted that his eyes were filled with a look of confusion. _Why did I just see that?_

"I'm almost there" panted Amneris as she quickly ran down the street and saw the "Von Schroeder's" building in the distance "Just a few more blocks and-Hey what's going on?"

After leaving her apartment, Amneris was surprised to see that it was snowing. This didn't stop her though, since she was determined to get to her daughter as quickly as possible. So after spending about twenty minutes skidding up and down icy sidewalks, Amneris finally approached downtown. The first thing she noticed was that the main streets had been blocked off by the police. This wasn't a problem though since she knew a shortcut through the alleys that would lead her straight to "Von Schroeder's". Unfortunately she hadn't counted on the alley being blocked off by the police as well. In fact there were at least four patrol cars, two ambulances, and several policemen in front of the alley. _Just my luck..._

Dammit!muttered Amneris as she looked at the yellow police tape before waving her arm at a policeman to get his attention "Why is this alley blocked off?"

"Ma'am I'm going to need for you to step back" said a man whose badge identified him as Liutenant Harris, as he approached Amneris and motioned for her to move "You're stepping over the line"

"Well why is this alley blocked off in the first place?" snapped Amneris since she hated the police more than anything "I need to go through it in order to get to "Von Schroeder's"!"

"I'm sorry ma'am but that's not going to be possible" said the Liutenant Harris as he turned around and faced in the direction of the alley once again "We're investigating a possible double homicide that happened in this alley"

Amneris was about to ask the Liutenant something, but then he motioned over to someone in the alley. Suddenly two policemen emerged, with a handcuffed man between them. The man was a redhead clad in dark clothes and a black trenchcoat. For some reason he refused to or was unable to walk, so the policemen were literally dragging him along. This obviously annoyed them, but they knew just how to make him pay for his resistence. As soon as they reached one of the patrol cars, they threw the him onto the hood of the car as roughly as possible. The redhead didn't even flinch though, and simply turned his head to the side. The moment he did, he realized who the woman standing there behind the yellow tape was. It was only then that Amelda finally decided to react...

"Angel..." hissed Amelda as his grey eyes suddenly filled with anger as he stared right at the auburn haired woman "This happened because of you.."

_"What?" _thought Amneris as her pale green eyes opened wide in surprise when she realized what he had called her _"Did he just call me Angel?"_

"She made them pay Angel..." spat Amelda who was filled with so much anger and hatred as he stared at this woman "She made them pay for what you did!"

"Hey that's enough out of you!" shouted one of the policemen as he suddenly slammed his nightstick down close to Amelda's face

_"What the Hell?" _thought Amneris as she continued to stare at the unusually feminine looking redhead male _"Is he talking about-"_

**SCREECH!**

After nearly having been run over earlier, Amneris immediately spun around upon hearing tires screech. The culprit turned out to be a black sedan that had come to an unexpected halt in the middle of the street. Suddenly the passenger door flew open and a young man with messy brown hair jumped out. A few seconds later the driver side door opened and a tall, well built, blonde man emerged. The brunette quickly ran up right next to where Amneris stood, but his attention was focused on the redhead in police custody.

"Amelda!" shouted Varon as he stared in complete and utter confusion at his friend who lay their handcuffed against a patrol car "What happened mate?"

"What's going on?" asked Raphael with a confused look on his face as he immediately turned towards the policemen "Why is he handcuffed?"

"Because he's under arrest" said the Liutenant who noticeably flinched a bit when he realized just how tall and muscular Raphael was "He's the prime suspect in a possible double homicide"

"WHAT? YOU'RE WRONG" shouted Varon as his sky blue eyes suddenly shot open and he tried to reach out towards Amelda "My friend would never do that! Tell them mate!"

"Varon...Raphael..." said Amelda hoarsely as he raised his head and looked at his friends with a defeated look on his face "I didn't do it..."

Upon hearing what Amelda had said, the policemen just shook their heads and gave cynical laughs. After all every single person that they arrested always claimed to be innocent. This infuriated Varon who tried to jump forward, but was immediately restrained by Raphael. After all Raphael knew just what Varon was capable of when upset, and didn't want him to end up getting arrested as well.

"Liutenant Harris!" shouted a female police officer as she suddenly dashed out of the alley and ran up to him "The victims are still alive!"

_"Alive?" _thought Amelda as he suddenly raised his head once again when he heard what the woman said

"They're still alive?" asked Liutenant Harris with a slightly surprised expression on his face "What's their current condition?"

Before the officer got a chance to answer though, the paramedics emerged from the alley with Tea and Odysseus. Both were wrapped in white blankets stained with some blood, and had oxygen masks on their faces. Odysseus's entire body was twitching violently, while Tea was completely motionless. As soon as Amneris saw the victims, her eyes widened in shock. Although their faces were partially covered by oxygen masks, she realized that they were husband and daughter. The paramedics quickly put them into the ambulances and immediately rushed towards the nearest hospital. Only now did everything that the redhead had said, made sense to Amneris. He had been talking about The Viper, and how this was her way of finally getting revenge. Revenge which had no doubt been administered by the hands of this redhead assassin. Suddenly everything went red, and Amneris found herself lunging straight towards Amelda. _You took away my only happiness..._

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" screamed Amneris as she clawed Amelda's cheek so aggressively that she managed to draw blood "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!

It was only now that he was being attacked, that Amelda understood what The Viper had seen in this woman. Behind the small and relatively harmless looking exterior, lay

the ultimate sadist. This woman didn't just want him dead, she wanted him to suffer as much as possible beforehand.

"HEY!" shouted Varon as immediately ran over and began to try and pull the crazed woman off of his friend "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

"Let go of me!" screamed Amneris as she took a swipe at Amelda's jugular artery even as Varon tugged at her "He has to pay for what he did!"

"Varon!" shouted Raphael who had no choice but to run forward and try to pull Varon off of the woman "This isn't the way to get things done!"

"Dammit!" shouted Liutenant Harris as he and several other officers ran over and quickly restrained Varon, Amneris, and even Raphael "Will you people get out of here already?"

"You filthy bastard!" screamed Amneris as she looked at Amelda, while kicking like crazy and attempting to break free from the officer restraining her "I'll make you regret the day you were born!"

"Officer Baker!" shouted Liutenant Harris as he turned around and looked at the female officer there "Take the suspect and get him down to the station right away!"

"No you can't take him!" shouted Varon who like Amneris, was desperately kicking and trying to break free "You can't!"

"Yes Liutenant!" said Officer Baker as she saluted her superior before turning around and pulling Amelda off of the hood of the car "Come on you heard the man"

Varon continued shouting that it was all a mistake, but it was of no use at all. Officer Baker pushed Amelda into the backseat of the car, before quickly driving away. As Amelda looked out the back window, he could see that his friends and Amneris were finally released. Raphael exchanged a few words with the Liutenant, before turning to Varon and saying something. Both immediately ran back towards the car, and headed off in the opposite direction for some reason. Meanwhile Amneris was just standing there staring at the patrol car Amelda was in. Only now the expression on her face wasn't one of anger, it was one of sheer desperation. Amelda also noted that a figure dressed in black seemed to be walking towards her. Unfortunately never got a chance to see who it was, since the car turned onto a different street at that moment.

"Tea...Odysseus..." whispered Amneris before suddenly falling to her knees and beginning to cry like never before "IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!"

"No...It should have been me" said a soft female voice as Amneris heard the distinctive sound of someone in high heels walking up behind her "After all I'm guiltier of a far bigger treason than you Angel"

"What?" gasped Amneris as she spun around upon immediately recognizing the voice even though she hadn't heard it in many years "Victoria?"

"Amneris" said Constantina as she suddenly knelt down beside the woman who had just called her by her true name "Forgive me...please forgive me"

While Amneris was extremely upset, she was also glad to see her old friend. Especially since Victoria had become very successful and now went by the name of Constantina. What she didn't understand though was why Victoria was asking for her forgiveness. Amneris didn't even have to ask though, since Victoria explained why. She knew that The Viper planned to kill someone, but she had assumed that it was Raphael. Now because of her mistake, two innocent people had been harmed. Amneris simply sobbed and said that there was nothing that she could have done. After all she knew that she was the only one responsible for the attack on her husband and child. _Even death would be too kind a fate for someone like me..._

_"Today has been a perfect day" _thought The Viper as she stood before two of her minions, while holding the now inanimate figurine of Quetzalcoatl in her hand _"I don't think anything could make it any better"_

Since the day Angel deserted her over twenty years before, The Viper swore revenge against her. Especially since she didn't go alone, and decided to take Victoria with her. This angered her because they were her top two minions, and were aware of things that nobody else knew about. If either one ever chose to reveal any information, it could be a damaging blow to The Society. For this same reason, The Viper sent assassins to kill Angel before she ever got a chance to talk. None of them even came close, which fueled her anger and made her more determined to get revenge. Now that she had finally made Angel pay, she felt a great sense of triumph. _That fool Odysseus and the girl won't survive the night..._

"Angel paid the ultimate price for betraying me" said The Viper as she walked over and carefully placed the figurine back on her desk "Now let this be a valuable lesson..."

"Madame I'd never betray you!" cried Claudius as he suddenly threw himself to the floor and practically kissed The Viper's feet "I only live to serve you!"

"As do I Madame" said Dr. Lestrange as he threw himself onto his knees and bowed low in the prescence of his master "I would never betray you"

"I know that you won't..." laughed The Viper as she took a few steps away from her overzealous minions "After all you're both a pair of spineless cowards!"

"But...what now Madame?" said Claudius as he looked up at The Viper with his strange toadlike face "Will you go after Victoria?"

Suddenly the smile on The Viper's face vanished, and her green eyes opened wide. The very mention of Victoria's name caused the wound on The Viper's wrist to sting once again. Although Victoria wasn't an assassin, the knowledge she possessed made her far more dangerous than Angel. In fact she was more dangerous than anyone who had ever been in The Society Of Assassins. _Now that the garbage has been cleared away, I've saved the best for last..._

_"Everything that happened was my fault" _thought Serenity as she sat on the couch clutching a blue Scapegoat plushie _"How could I have been so naive?"_

After running away and leaving Duke and Tristan behind, Serenity ended up heading straight home. She still couldn't believe everything that she had just heard and witnessed between them. What had apparently started off as a crush on her, had quickly escalated into far more on both parts. Now it had gotten to the point where both young men were willing to fight each other for Serenity's love. The fact that Serenity didn't actually have feelings for either one, made her feel even worse. She felt that perhaps she had somehow led them on, and given them both the wrong idea. Either way Serenity was feeling so guilty and miserable, that she didn't notice that Joey had just opened the front door.

"Phew I'm glad I finally managed ta get home!" exclaimed an out of breath Joey as he held two pizza boxes in his right hand "Best of all dese babies are still hot!"

Much like every other person in Domino, Joey was caught completely off guard by the unexpected snow. But while other people were quickly rushing to get home, Joey had something else on his mind. So despite the strange weather conditions, Joey decided to head off to the local pizzaria. After all Serenity was probably already home, and it would be a nice surprise. Once he had his pizzas though, Joey ran home as quickly as his legs could possibly carry him. While Joey had been smiling broadly as he entered the apartment, it faded when he noticed the look of unhappiness on Serenity's face. _What's goin' on?_

_"The signs have always been there" _thought Serenity who was still completely oblivious to her brother's arrival _"But I was just too blind to notice them"_

"Serenity?" said Joey as he walked over to the couch, placed the pizzas on the coffee table, and had a look of concern in his brown eyes "Is everythin' alright sis?"

"Huh?" said Serenity as she suddenly snapped out of her state and was surprised to find her older brother sitting beside her "Oh...um...everything's fine"

"C'mon sis it doesn't take a genius ta see dat somethin's botherin ya" said Joey as he noted the crushing hug that Serenity had her plushie in "What's goin' on?"

"Oh Joey..." cried Serenity as she suddenly leaned over and slumped herself against her older brother "Something terrible happened this afternoon..."

Serenity immediately began to tell Joey about her run in with Duke and Tristan that afternoon. Joey was not very happy to hear that Duke had the nerve to wait for her outside of the high school. He also now understood why Tristan claimed that he had a very important "appointment" that afternoon. Serenity then told him how they started shouting at each other and claiming that the other didn't deserve her love. While Joey knew that Tristan and Duke had a crush on his little sister, he didn't realize it had grown so much. This angered him though, since he didn't consider either of them good enough for Serenity. _She can't feel dis way about those two..._

"Those no good rotten bums!" shouted Joey as he suddenly clenched his fist as if though ready to pound something "You're too good for those two sis!"

"I feel so bad because I do like both of them..." said Serenity with a slightly sad expression as she continued hugging her plushie "But not in that way..."

"Huh?" said Joey as his expression of anger quickly turned into one of confusion and then to one of relief "Ya don't like 'em?"

"I only like them as friends" said Serenity as she quickly nodded her head before a sudden flush came across her face "But there is somebody that I do like..."

"It's him isn't it?" said Joey as everything that had happened with his sister in the past few weeks finally began to make sense "Dat Valon guy right?"

"Yeah...it is Valon" said Serenity as her pretty face suddenly lit up with a smile at the thought of the young man she liked "He's really really sweet"

"I wouldn't trust dat guy so much sis" said Joey since he didn't like the idea of his younger sister being in love with someone he didn't know "He could be some kinda sick pervert"

"No, Valon's not like that" said Serenity since she knew just how overprotective of her Joey could be at times "He treats me really well"

"Well..." said Joey who at that moment began to have a very strange feeling about the entire situation "I still wanna know who dis guy is"

"Well that's perfect since I want both of you to meet" said Serenity as she smiled sweetly at her older brother "After all I want you to see just how nice he really is"

"Den it's settled!" said Joey who felt relief in knowing that soon he would get to see exactly who this guy actually was "So what now?"

"Time to eat those pizzas?" asked Serenity jokingly as she pointed to the two pizza boxes sitting on the coffee table

"Ya read my mind!" said Joey as he quickly opened up the boxes and salivated at the delicious treat inside "Now lets chow down!"

As Joey immediately began to eat two slices of pizza at once, Serenity couldn't help but smile. Although she still felt bad about causing Duke and Tristan to fight, another weight had just been lifted off her shoulders. After all Serenity had finally found the courage to tell her older brother that she liked someone. Now the only thing she had to do was convince Valon to meet her brother. Then once Joey saw the kind of sincere person he was, he'd have no problem with it. _Then everything will be just perfect..._

_"Christmas may still be a few weeks away" _thought Seto as he looked out the window of his limo as it pulled through the front gates of his mansion _"But Serenity Wheeler is getting her first gift tomorrow"_

He then reached over, opened his infamous silver briefcase, and retrieved a single manila envelope. As Seto held the envelope in his hands, a big smirk came across his usually stoic face. After all contained within the envelope was all of the information that Roland had managed to find about Varon. He then opened up the envelope and grinned as he looked at the information on the very first page.

_"While the mere fact that he was in jail is incriminating enough" _thought Seto as he skimmed through the information for about the tenth time that day _"This is what I want her to see first"_

While at first Seto couldn't decide what Serenity should see first, he finally made up his mind. The very first page happened to be the one that showed that Varon had been part of the Paradise Corporation/Doom Organization. It proved that at one time, he had served a madman bent on destroying the planet. To make matters worse, Varon had been one of his top three minions. Seto was confident that upon seeing this, Serenity would be disgusted by Varon. After all how could she possibly want to be around someone who almost helped bring down civilization? Especially when that same person was guilty of trying to steal her beloved older brother's soul. _That alone is enough to make her hate him for life..._

_"The sooner she sees what's in this envelope" _thought Seto as the limo driver came around and opened the door for him _"The sooner she'll be mine"_

The mere thought of finally getting what he wanted, was more than enough to make Seto grin. After all whenever he wanted something, he didn't care who he had to destroy in order to get it. Now Varon was going to pay for having dared to set his sights on the same prize as him. Seto was so caught up in his pleasant thoughts, that he failed to notice his brother watching him from a window. Although Mokuba knew that his brother was in a better mood, the grin completely caught him off guard. After all the last time he had ever really seen Seto grin, was when they were still living at the orphanage. The way Seto was smiling on this day was very unnatural and almost sinister looking though. Although Mokuba loved his older brother very much, he had a very strange feeling. _I think Seto's up to something and it's not good..._

**Several Hours Later**

_"This room..." _thought Amelda as he sat at a small table and glanced up at his new surroundings _"It's the same one that Odysseus was in..."_

While Odysseus had been confused when he sat in the room, Amelda knew exactly why he was there. After all it was the police that found him in the same alley as Tea and Odysseus. They were also the ones who brutally ripped Tea from his arms, before tackling and handcuffing him. Then again what else could they do with a man whom they believed had just brutally murdered two people? The officers down at the Domino Police Station also treated him in the manner they felt he deserved. At first some of the male officers laughed and made snide comments when they saw him. After all it wasn't everyday that they saw such a feminine looking male. The laughter only increased upon discovering that he happened to have a feminine name as well. While Amelda could honestly care, he wasn't ready for what came next. As soon as Officer Baker explained why he was arrested, the policemen stopped laughing. Instead they came forward, threw him to the ground, and began to search him for concealed weapons. At this point though Amelda's pain killers had worn off, which meant his entire body ached very badly. So when the officers began their search, he grit his teeth and began to struggle against them. This was a mistake though, since the officers wasted no time in tazering him. Amelda cried out in pain which amused them, and caused them to continue tazering him until he lost consciousness. When Amelda finally woke up, he found himself locked in a large room with only a small table and a chair in it.

_"Miruko...Tea...forgive me" _thought Amelda as his eyes focused on a small light hanging directly over the table _"Forgive me for not being able to protect you both"_

Even though he had heard that Tea was still alive, Amelda felt completely miserable at that point. Now that he was all alone in this room, he had more than enough time to think about what had happened. While the image of Tea lying there in the snow was devastating, it made him realize something. Tea only had a stab wound, while Odysseus actually had a knife in his stomach. This meant that she had definitely been stabbed first...but by who? Could it be that Odysseus had stabbed her, his own child, before turning the knife on himself? It was possible since the man was completely out of his mind and had already attacked her once before. But if this truly was the case, Amelda couldn't even imagine the terror Tea must have felt. _I would have given anything to be there to protect her from her him..._

_"But I was too late..." _thought Amelda as he pounded his fist onto the table in pure frustration _"Now she's in the hospital and it's all my damn fault!"_

**Click Click**

"Okay all you get is ten minutes with him" said a voice from outside as the some keys jingled and the various locks clicked upon opening "So make it snappy"

"Yes yes I know" said another voice which sounded like that of an older man as the final lock clicked open "After all I've been an attorney since the time you were probably still in diapers"

At that moment the door swung open and there stood Mr. Anderson with a leather briefcase in his hand. He had a sleepy look on his face, and yawned as he stepped into the room. Even though Amelda wasn't sure what time it was, he figured it was probably the middle of the night. As soon as Mr. Anderson stepped into the room, the guard shut the door and began to shut the locks. _He acts as if though the crown jewels were in here..._

"Good evening Amelda" said Mr. Anderson as he slowly walked over towards the table and placed his briefcase on the table "I must say I never thought I would ever see you in this room"

"Mr. Anderson what are you doing here?" asked Amelda since he was honestly surprised to see Raphael's lawyer there

"Raphael called me and told me what happened" said Mr. Anderson as he opened up his briefcase and pulled out several papers "So I've spent the past few hours gathering all of the information necessary"

"So..." said Amelda almost hesitently as Mr. Anderson yawned while sorting through the papers lying before him "What's going to happen?"

"Well based on the information I've gathered..." said Mr. Anderson as he took a deep breath before looking into the grey eyes of the young man in front of him "Things are very complicated"

Mr. Anderson explained that due to the circumstances he was found in, Amelda was the only suspect. There also didn't appear to be any witnesses, which would make it difficult to prove his innocence. He also explained that even though the Gardners had survived, Amelda was still in dangerous territory. Both had lost alot of blood, and there was no guarantee they would survive. In the event that both ended up dying, Amelda would face two counts of first degree murder. Even if one lived and the other died though, the severity of the punishment would depend on who the deceased one was. If Odysseus died, the punishment could be anywhere from five to ten years. If Tea died though, it was an entirely different story. While it was known that Odysseus was extremely violent and dangerous, his poor daughter was anything but. She was just an innocent girl who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So if anything were to happen to Tea, Amelda faced the possibility of life in prison...

"I didn't do it Mr. Anderson.." said Amelda with a pained look in his grey eyes as he looked over at the man in front of him _"I could never hurt Tea..."_

"While I believe you Amelda..." said Mr. Anderson as he noted the unusual slashes that Amelda seemed to have on his face and neck "It seems we're already at a disadvantage"

"Disadvantage?"

"While both Odysseus and Tea Gardner are still in critical condition" said Mr. Anderson as he pulled out a paper with something hastily jotted down on it "Miss Gardner's condition in more serious.."

"What?" exclaimed Amelda as he felt as if though something had just punched him in the back "How serious is her condition?"

"After recieving a blood transfusion" said Mr. Anderson almost hesitently since he knew this was a very difficult situation "She went into a coma..."

_"No..." _thought Amelda as he suddenly balled his hands and pressed them against his aching forehead _"This can't be happening"_

Although Mr. Anderson had many clients over the years, looking at Amelda reminded him of a particular one. Like the young man sitting before him, Odysseus Gardner found himself accused of a crime he didn't commit. Even when he sat in this very same room, Odysseus seemed to have hope. He had hope that justice would be served, and that he would would be proven innocent. Amelda on the other hand though, had a desolate look on his face that showed no sign of hope. _It's almost as if though he's already given up and accepted defeat..._

"It might be just be a temporary thing though" said Mr. Anderson with a hopeful tone in his voice "And she could wake up at any given moment"

"Or she could die..." said Amelda in a strange and almost lifeless tone of voice as he stared at the table

Before Mr. Anderson even got a chance to respond, the door swung wide open. The guard then came inside and told him that time was up, and that he would have to leave immediately. Mr. Anderson said goodbye to Amelda, before picking up his briefcase and directing and indignant huff at the guard. Now that he found himself alone once again, Amelda was feeling far emptier than he had before. Thanks to The Viper, not only would he lose Tea, he would lose his freedom as well. Never again would he see his friends or any of the other people that he had grown to care about. _I have nothing to believe in now..._

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Yes I know that was a wicked cliffhanger, but now you know what happened :). As for Amelda's treatment in jail, it's pretty much just based on my imagination. Well I don't know what else to say, except for more OOC warnings(as usual). Hugs and Kisses people! (hands out Cream Eggs) :D


	23. Wrath

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

Mini Note: This chapter is the longest one to date, so it might take more than one sitting to get through it(Sorry!)

**Wrath**

"Tea..." whispered Yugi as he pressed his hand against the cold glass window in front of him "Why did this have to happen to you?"

While Tuesday mornings tended to be uneventful, that wasn't the case on this particular morning. Instead of waking up and getting ready for the day, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Serenity found themselves at the hospital. After unsucessfully managing to get ahold of Tea on her cellphone, Yugi decided to head to her house. As he ran up the front steps of her apartment building, he ran into a very distraught Amneris. The moment she told him what had happened, Yugi thought it was all a bad dream. The Wheeler siblings and Tristan reacted in a similar way though, but set out to the hospital immediately. Even as they sat there in the waiting room with Amneris sobbing hysterically, the situation didn't seem real. Shortly before midnight though, a doctor came out of the operating room and approached them. She explained that despite a quick blood transfusion, followed by surgery to close the wound, Tea had gone into a coma. Amneris begged to see her daughter, but then the doctor leaned in close and whispered something. Amneris' eyes opened wide in shock for a moment, before nodding and following the doctor. Shortly after this, Tea was brought to a room with a window in order to monitor her condition closely. It was only until her friends saw her lying there hooked up to a respirator, that reality finally sank in...

"She didn't deserve this" sniffled Serenity as she stood between her older brother and Yugi "Why would anyone do this to her?

"Because dey're sick bastards..." said Joey as he gulped hard as if though trying his best to hold back tears and emotions "Dat's why"

"You'd have to be sick to do such a thing" said Tristan as he stood there helplessly watching one of his closest friends fighting for her life "Especially to an innocent person"

"I knew that something wasn't right, but I ignored my feelings" whispered Yugi as his violet eyes began to fill with tears as he looked at Tea "And then this happened..."

Suddenly Yugi fell to his knees and began to cry in a way that he had never done so before. After when he was a lonely little boy, Tea was the first person who befriended him. She had always been there with him through the good times and the bad. He could never forget how a mere smile and a few kind words, was all it took for Tea to get him through the toughest of times. Now that she was facing her darkest moment, there was nothing that Yugi could do. All he could do was stand there helplessly and watch her die. _This is all my fault..._

"Yugi you can't blame yourself" said Serenity in a very soothing voice as she knelt down besides the agitated young man "This wasn't your fault"

"She's right Yuge..." said Joey as he also knelt down beside Yugi and attempted to comfort him "Dere's no way any of us coulda known dis was gonna happen"

"I just don't want to lose her like this..." said Yugi as his breath grew ragged while the tears continued to flow from his eyes "I want her to live!"

"We all want her to live" said Tristan as he pressed his hand against the glass window seperating them from Tea "But right now there's not much that any of us can do..."

"I just wish I know who did this to her..." said Yugi as he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of the dark blue jacket he wore "And ask them why they did it..."

"I also want to know who did this to her" said Tristan as a fiery anger suddenly flashed across his brown eyes "But so I can teach them a lesson!"

"Same here!" shouted Joey as he suddenly jumped up and clenched his fists in anger "I'd like ta get my hands on them and-"

"But we'll probably never know who it is!" said Serenity as she quickly cut her brother off so he wouldn't end up making a scene "It's not like the police are going to release that information so easily"

_**Click Click Click**_

"Actually they already did hon" said an all too familiar female voice accompanied by the distinctive clicking sound of high heeled boots "And I've got it right here"

"Huh? Mai?" exclaimed Joey in complete and utter surprise to see his beloved Mai there at the hospital "What're ya doin' here?"

"I just found out about what happened to Tea" said Mai as she looked down at the small group consisting of Tea's closest friends "And I wanted to see how she's doing"

"S-She's..." said Yugi very sadly as he slowly pulled himself off of the ground and pointed to the window "She's in a coma..."

Mai immediately looked in the direction Yugi indicated, and was met with the sight of a comatose Tea. She was deathly pale, hooked to a respirator, and beside her was a nurse who was checking her heart rate. Serenity then asked her if she really knew who had attacked Tea, and she nodded. Mai then unfurled a newspaper she had been carrying whose headline read: "Two People Stabbed In Downtown Domino". While the newspaper didn't give too much detail, it did give the suspect's name: Amelda A. Andress. While the name didn't ring any bells for the others, Mai knew exactly who it was. Even though she already hated the redhead for his tendancy to insult her, seeing Tea in these conditions gave her even more reason to hate him. Although Mai hadn't seen her in years, she still considered Tea a friend. A friend who was now dying thanks to a person who in her opinion, wanted everyone to be as miserable as he was. _You make me sick Amelda..._

"Unnnh..." groaned Odysseus as he slowly opened his blue eyes, but his vision was completely out of focus _"Where on Earth am I?"_

Although couldn't really see where he was, Odysseus was certain of one thing: He wasn't in his cell. After all his cell was very dark and the only time he saw light was when the nurse opened up the little slot on the door. The only other time he saw light was at the beginning of the month when Dr. Lestrange came in to drug him. Other than that he lived in darkness, with only his pictures and memories to keep him company. After being in the darkness for so long though, Odysseus' eyes were very sensitive to light. So he quickly shut his eyes once again and tried to figure out why he wasn't in his cell.

_"The last thing I remember is having that ghoul come into my cell" _thought Odysseus as he lay there make sense of the unusual circumstances _"But everything after that is just a random array of images..."_

All of the images Odysseus saw were so unusual that he wasn't sure what to make of them. The first image he recalled was of himself being pushed out of a laundry van, into what appeared to an alley. He then remembered wandering through the alley, but not under his own free will. It felt almost as if though someone were telling him in which direction to go in. The next image that came into his mind was that of a frightened young woman with brown hair and blue eyes. He wasn't sure who she was or why she was frightened, but there was one thing he couldn't help but notice.

_"That young woman..." _thought Odysseus when he realized the uncanny resemblance the girl had to the person he loved the most _"She looks almost exactly like my beloved Amneris"_

Odysseus continued thinking and surely enough a few more images surfaced in his mind. The next thing he saw was himself running down the street with a young man following him. The young man had strange brown hair that stood up in an almost unnatural way. The image Odysseus saw next though was an image that filled him with anger unlike anything else. Standing there looking at him from what appeared to be a window, was none other than The Viper. Her green eyes glowed like a demon, and her face had a look of fiendish glee on it. Before Odysseus had time to wallow in his rage, his mind showed yet another unusual image. Once again he was seeing the frightened brown haired girl, but this time he was holding onto her arm for some reason. The girl was desperately clawing at his arm, but he wasn't letting go. Not because he didn't want to, but because something wouldn't let him. _It's almost as if though I had no control over my body..._

_"But is what I'm seeing real?" _thought Odysseus who didn't understand what he was seeing _"Or is it nothing more than a bad dream"_

Before he had time to ponder this, a new and extremely disturbing image came into his mind. There at his feet lay the brown haired girl, but she was crying and clutching a bleeding wound on his stomach. Odysseus then looked at his hand and realized that he was holding a bloody knife. He then took the knife, raised his arm up high, and stabbed himself in the stomach. After that everything was darkness, and he found himself right back where he had started. Suddenly he heard something unusual that sounded almost like a woman sobbing. _Wait...I know that sound.._

"Odysseus..." sobbed Amneris with her hands buried in her face as she sat in a chair besides Odysseus' bed "I swear I'll make them pay for all of this..."

"Amneris?" asked Odysseus very weakly as he once again struggled against the light and managed to get his eyes open "Is that you?"

"Odysseus?" exclaimed Amneris as she suddenly looked up and found that her husband had woken up "Odysseus!"

Amneris immediately threw herself from the chair, took her husband's hand, and began to sob hysterically. After all because of her, Odysseus had spent the past sixteen years paying for a crime he didn't commit. Seeing how emaciated he had become due to his conditions, only added to the guilt she had been living with for so long. Odysseus on the other hand was completely overjoyed to see his beloved wife after so many years. _She looks just as beautiful as the last time I saw her..._

"Please forgive me Odysseus..." cried Amneris whose pale green eyes were now red and puffy from so much crying "Please forgive me for everything..."

"My precious angel..." said Odysseus as he gently reached out and stroked her soft auburn hair which was pulled into a ponytail "Just seeing you makes everything better"

"I don't deserve your kindness" wailed Amneris as she suddenly snapped her head back and a stream of tears began to pour down her cheeks "I deserve to burn in Hell!"

"Don't say that Amneris" said Odysseus who honestly never blamed his wife for any of what happened to him "You're not the one responsible for any of what happened to me"

"Yes I am!" screamed Amneris as she suddenly threw herself forward and her entire body began to tremble very violently "I'm responsible for what she did to you and to Tea..."

"Tea?" exclaimed Odysseus as his blue eyes opened wide the moment his wife mentioned their beloved little girl "What about Tea?"

Amneris immediately began to wail hysterically, and wasn't able to speak at all. During this time though, Odysseus began to look around and finally realized that he was in a hospital. While he wasn't sure why he was there, a sudden pain in his stomach offered a clue. He quickly lifted the hospital gown and was surprised to see that his stomach was tightly bandaged up. Before he got a chance to ask about it, Amneris finally calmed down a bit and spoke.

"Y-You were stabbed in the stomach" sobbed Amneris as she suddenly hiccuped and wiped her eyes with a tissue "A-A-And so was Tea..."

"What?" cried Odysseus as he suddenly thrashed, causing the wound to send out another wave of pain "No...It can't be!"

"She was responsible for it..." growled Amneris as she tightened her fists so hard that she nearly managed to draw blood "She sent one of her filthy dogs to attack her!"

Odysseus had a confused look on his face, so Amneris began to refresh his memory. She told him that the attack had taken place in an alley, but the assassin had been caught. Just the mere fact that he had been caught, proved that he had been the lowliest assassin The Viper could find. Just the way he looked was another indication of how insignificant he was. Amneris hatefully described him to her husband, as a girly anorexic looking redhead whose throat she wanted to slit. Even as Amneris continued cursing the redhead to Hell, Odysseus realized something was very wrong. The scene she had described in the alley sounded almost like the strange images he had seen. Without further hesitation he interrupted his wife's rant, and asked if she had a recent picture of Tea. _I fear that it wasn't merely a bad dream I had..._

"This is the most recent one I have" sniffled Amneris as she pulled a small picture out of her purse and handed it to her husband "I took it at her graduation last June..."

As soon as Odysseus saw the picture, it was as if though someone stabbed him through the heart. The girl in the picture was none other than the frightened girl from the strange images he had seen. Only did he realize that the images weren't a dream. they were actually memories. Suddenly he remembered the last injection Dr. Lestrange had given him, and that's when everything came together. The Viper had indeed been controlling his mind, and she led him to commit the most heinous act of all. _She made me harm my only child..._

"I'd slice through his jugular very slowly" cried Amneris who had continued ranting about what she wanted to do to the redhead "And then I'd-"

"Amneris...he didn't do it" said Odysseus as he began to breathe heavily and his hands began to tremble "I've never even seen a person who matches that description"

"What?" exclaimed Amneris who couldn't believe that her husband thought the redhead was innocent "How can you say-"

"I'm the one who did it" said Odysseus as a look of torment suddenly filled his dark blue eyes "I stabbed Tea and myself while under that woman's mind control..."

The moment he said this, Amneris immediately fell backwards into the chair. While Odysseus' claims did sound like the rantings of a madman, they made perfect sense to her. After all if The Viper used mind control serums on her minions, why wouldn't she use it on an innocent person? Especially when it was for the purpose of getting revenge on an enemy? Although everything fit, there was one thing Amneris couldn't understand. _If that redhead is innocent though...how does he know about my past?_

**Several Hours Later**

_"How could they have printed this?" _thought Raphael as he skimmed through the front page of the newspaper in his hands _"Especially when the attorneys are still negotiating?"_

Although Raphael and Varon didn't get any sleep the previous night, they both still went to work. Sleep was the last thing on their minds though, since Mr. Anderson had gone down to the police department for the negotiations. After all if everything went well, then Amelda would be able to get out on bail. Although what Raphael and Varon wanted was for their friend to be cleared of all charges. Especially when they realized that the "Domino Times" had published an article about the incident. While they were both shocked to discover who one of the victims was, they also felt complete outrage. After all not only had the article revealed Amelda's identity, it made him seem like some kind of bloodthirsty lunatic. _These lowlives should get their facts straight before publishing anything..._

"This makes me sick..." muttered Raphael as he suddenly crumpled the newspaper up in his hands and tossed it in a nearby waste basket "Don't these people care whose life they ruin?"

"Not really mate" said Varon who was standing beside the window, staring at the buildings in the distance "All they care about is getting some damn story..."

_"It's almost 10am already" _thought Raphael as he looked at his watch and then at the front door of his office _"That means the Mr. Anderson should be coming in very soon"_

No sooner had Raphael thought this, a knock was heard on the door. Varon quickly ran to open the door, and sure enough there stood Mr. Anderson with his briefcase in hand. The first thing Varon noticed was the serious look on the older man's face. _So does he have good news or bad news?_

"What happened Mr. Anderson?" blurted Varon who couldn't take the suspense and wanted to know what had happened "Tell us!"

"How did things work out during the negotiation?" asked Raphael as he stood up from his chair and walked over to where Mr. Anderson was "Did they set an amount for bail?"

"Well for starters..." said Mr. Anderson as he pushed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose "Something very unexpected happened about three hours ago"

"What happened?" cried Varon who wanted him to just get to the point and tell them whether or not Amelda was out on bail "Is it good?"

"Not only did Odysseus Gardner wake up" said Mr. Anderson as he set his briefcase down on Amelda's empty desk and opened it up "But he claimed that he stabbed himself and his daughter Tea"

When Mr. Anderson said this, Raphael and Varon appeared to go into a temporary state of shock. While the article they had read earlier mentioned the name Odysseus Gardner, it didn't really include much about it. The only thing it spoke about was the fact that he was an insane and extremely violent convict. This was nothing new to them though, since they had seen his violent nature when he attacked Tea the previous day. It was for this reason that they overlooked the fact that both victims had the same surname. So to discover that this man was in reality Tea's father was absolutely shocking. _If he was capable of attacking his daughter, he's definitely capable of this..._

"So he admits that he did he it?" asked Varon who was still in disbelief at how unusual the entire situation was "So that's good news right?"

"Unfortunately due to Mr. Gardner's mental health history" said Mr. Anderson who felt a strong pang of pain when he saw the hopeful look in Varon's eyes "His claims aren't being taken seriously and Amelda is still the main suspect"

"WHAT?"

"Also due to Ms. Gardner's rapidly declining health" said Mr. Anderson who quickly looked down since he couldn't bear to see the look on his face "Amelda will most likely face one count of murder..."

"NO THEY CAN'T DO THAT!" shouted Varon as he suddenly ran forward and grabbed Mr. Anderson by the blazer "HE'S INNOCENT!"

"I tried to get him out on bail..." gasped Mr. Anderson as Raphael quickly came forward and pulled the hysterical teenager off of him "But they want to keep him in custody until the start of his trial"

"Where is he now?" asked Raphael who felt a mixture of rage and disbelief at the fact that his friend was being held unjustly "Is he still down at the police station?"

"No..." said Mr. Anderson with a noticeable tone of regret in his voice as he looked straight at Raphael and Varon "He's been transferred to Domino Maximum Security Penitentiary..."

A look of devastation immediately came across Raphael and Varon's faces. Suddenly without any warning, Varon ran straight out of the office and towards the stairs. Despite the childish bickering and reprimands that took place almost daily, Mr. Anderson could see that Raphael, Amelda and Varon were very close. They were friends and at times almost acted as if though they were brothers. Raphael was like the older brother who always watched out for his younger brothers. Amelda was like the quiet and often misunderstood middle brother. Finally Varon was like the little brother who would constantly be in trouble if it wasn't for his older brothers. So now that one "brother" was suffering, the other two were suffering as well. _I'd almost swear The Viper is behind all of this..._

_"Why did this have to happen to her?" _thought Alex as he sat alone at the workstation he usually shared with his chemistry partner _"And how did he get involved?"_

After the unusual vision that he had the previous night, Alex decided that maybe he should go to bed. Within minutes he was fast asleep, but it wouldn't stay this way for long. The same image kept repeating itself over and over in Alex's dream, which caused him to keep waking up every few minutes. So when morning rolled around, he was so tired that he fell asleep during breakfast. It was only until he felt his father pound his fist on the table, that Alex realized he was lying facedown on his French toast. Dr. DeWinters was holding a newspaper in his hand and had a surprised look on his face. Even as he peeled the syrupy bread off the side of his face, Alex decided to ask what the big fuss was about.

_"What's going on Dad?" _echoed Alex's sleepy voice in his own memory as he looked over at his father _"Why do you look so surprised?"_

_"I just can't believe he could do such a thing.."_ echoed Dr. DeWinter's voice in Alex's memory _"Especially in the conditions he was in"_

_"Huh?" _echoed Alex's voice since he didn't understand what his father was talking about _"Who are you talking about?"_

_"That young man Amelda was arrested last night" _echoed Dr. DeWinter's voice as he shook his head in disbelief _"He attempted to murder two people"_

_"What?" _echoed Alex's voice as his grey eyes opened wide in pure surprise _"Are you serious Dad?"_

_"See for yourself" _echoed Dr. DeWinters voice as he handed the newspaper over to his son _"I honestly can't believe it myself"_

Pretty soon Alex realized that his father hadn't been joking, and Amelda really had been arrested. As he continued reading the article though, he was soon learned who the victims were. While Alex was naturally upset that one of his friends was one of the victims, he was also confused. In his mind it was honestly a little hard to believe that Amelda was the culprit. For one thing he had barely been able to move after the beating he recieved from Stan and Arielle. So how could he possibly have the strength and mobility to go out and attack someone? Also despite the fact that Alex didn't know the other redhead very well, something told him that he was a good person. Then again even if Amelda wasn't responsible, it didn't change the fact that two people were currently hospitalized...

_"Tea can't die yet" _thought Alex as he felt his grey eyes beginning to get watery at the thought of losing his friend _"She still has her whole life ahead of her"_

Although Alex was almost always in a good mood, today wasn't one of those days. He felt very sad, confused, and he honestly didn't care if the whole world knew it. While his other classmates left him alone with his thoughts, there was one person who felt the need to bother him. After all Stan had known Alex since the sixth grade, and knew just how vulnerable the younger man could be when upset. So he casually walked over to Alex's workstation with a devilish sneer on his handsome face. _Time to kick this little twerp while he's down..._

_"She's the first friend I ever made in college" _thought Alex as he rubbed one his eyes as a single tear came down his cheek _"I don't want to lose her"_

"Hey Princess Alex" said Stan in a very loud voice so everyone in chemistry lab would turn around and look at him "Aren't you a little too old to be crying like a little sissy girl?"

"Go away Stan" said Alex with a dark expression on his face even as he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his track jacket "I'm not in the mood..."

"Go away Stan I'm not in the mood!" said Stan mockingly in a girly voice as he brought his hand up and pretended to cry "Don't you know it's my time of the month?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP CONSTANTINE!" screamed Alex as he suddenly jumped up and caused everyone to turn around and stare at him "FOR YOUR INFORMATION MY FRIEND TEA IS DYING AS WE SPEAK!"

"What the Hell did you just say?" asked Stan as his green eyes suddenly widened in disbelief, before suddenly grabbing Alex by the collar "Repeat it!"

Not only did Alex repeat what he had said, but he added that she had been stabbed and mortally wounded. Several of the people in the class gasped since they knew Tea from their other classes. Stan on the other hand simply let go of Alex and stood there for a few seconds with a dazed look on his face. Suddenly his expression turned into one of rage, and he immediately stormed out of the classroom._ I know exactly who's responsible for this..._

_"What do we have here?" _thought Dr. Lestrange as he stepped into his office and found a metal briefcase sitting on his desk _"It's from Madame..."_

In the years that Dr. Lestrange had served The Viper, he had learned that one could never be too careful. While Madame Cervantes could be very generous to her loyal minions, she could also be their worst nightmare. After all Dr. Lestrange could never forget what had happened to her top five chemists. Even though the men served her faithfully, she thought nothing of killing them in order to frame Odysseus. So as Dr. Lestrange cautiously opened the suitcase, he could only wonder if it was the last thing he would ever do. Much to his surprise(and relief) the suitcase was filled entirely with money, as well as a note commending him on a task well done. _She must still be in a good mood after last night's events..._

_"All of these years of torturing that fool Odysseus certainly paid off" _thought Dr. Lestrange as took out a bundle of money and began to count it _"Although I have to admit that I enjoyed every second of it"_

**Knock Knock Knock**

"Dr. Lestrange?" asked the nurse who assisted Dr. Lestrange in the maximum security psychiatric ward "Are you in there?"

"What is it?" snapped Dr. Lestrange as he quickly put the money back in the briefcase and shoved it under his desk "I'm extremely busy right now!"

"Well the guards just brought up a new inmate" said the nurse who could tell that the doctor was extremely annoyed "And he's here for his psychiatric evaluation"

Dr. Lestrange mentally groaned and slowly walked over and opened up the door to his office. Surely enough there stood two guards as well as a handcuffed redhead male who was clad in a blue prison uniform. The nurse handed Dr. Lestrange some papers, while the guards pushed Amelda into the doctor's office and closed the door. After all it was well known that the doctor preferred to conduct his evaluations without guards or anyone else present. In the event that an inmate decided to get out of control, Dr. Lestrange wasn't worried. After all it was nothing that the tranquilizer gun hidden behind his desk couldn't handle.

"Please take a seat...Amelda" said Dr. Lestrange as he began to read over the information that the nurse had given him "I'd like to ask you some questions"

"I'm not insane so you're just wasting your time..." said Amelda flatly as he looked down at the gleaming silver handcuffs currently on his wrists

"Says every single person that steps in here here" said Dr. Lestrange sarcastically as he continued eyeing the papers "Now cut the crap and lets get started!"

"I'm innocent" said Amelda as he looked up at the psychiatrist with a fiery look of anger in his steel grey eyes "So you're wasting both our time..."

Although though Amelda wasn't the first person who refused to cooperate with him, Dr. Lestrange still felt the urge to strangle him. The way the redhead sat there glaring at him was almost as if though _he _were inconvenienced by the situation...the nerve! If anyone was inconvenienced at that moment, then it was definitely Dr. Lestrange. After all he had an entire briefcase of money under his desk that was just begging to be counting. Unfortunately redhead's unwillingless to cooperate meant that it would take longer than normal to get through the psychiatric evaluation. This didn't make Dr. Lestrange happy, but suddenly something in Amelda's information caught his eye. _So this insolent fool is the one that's being accused of last night's incident..._

"So you claim to be innocent do you?" asked Dr. Lestrange mockingly now that he knew the redhead was indeed innocent "Funny thing coming from a man who stabbed two people"

"I didn't do it!" shouted Amelda who hated being reminded of the fact that he was being accused of such a horrible act "I didn't stab them!"

"Oh really?" asked Dr. Lestrange with an arrogant smile since he was having fun toying with the redhead "Then who may I ask did it?"

"The Viper's responsible for this!" shouted Amelda as his eyes filled with a look of rage unlike anything that Dr. Lestrange had ever seen before "She's the one who tried to kill them!"

The moment he shouted this, the smile on Dr. Lestrange's face was replaced with one of shock. How on the Hell did this redhead know that The Viper was actually responsible? In fact, how did he know that she was in reality a woman? Dr. Lestrange and a handful of other high ranking minions were the only ones aware of the truth. So if this outsider knew such a well kept secret, there was no telling what else he might know. Dr. Lestrange knew that he had to tell his master right away, but at that moment his cellphone began to ring. The moment he looked at the caller ID, he realized that he had been beaten to the punch.

"Madame" said Dr. Lestrange as answered the phone in a hushed voice and quickly turned his chair away from Amelda "I was just about to call you and-"

"I'm well aware of the little problem on our hands" said Madame Cervantes in a rather annoyed tone of voice "Or do you forget that I have eyes and ears all over this city?"

"No Madame..." whispered Dr. Lestrange in order ensure that the redhead didn't hear a single word "But what would you like me to do with him?"

_"There's something strange about this man" _thought Amelda as he attempted to eavesdrop on the conversation _"What's he hiding?"_

Despite his best efforts though, Amelda wasn't really able to hear much of what was being said. So far he had only managed to hear the words "insolent", "fool", and "concidence". While these words were nothing more than nonsense, the next two words that came out Dr. Lestrange's mouth were anything but...

"Angel...or possibly Victoria" whispered Dr. Lestrange who was unaware that his attempts at a private conversation were pointless "They could have been the ones to reveal the truth"

_"Angel? Victoria?" _thought Amelda as his grey eyes opened wide upon hearing those two names in the same sentence _"Wait...does this mean?"_

Amelda knew that something was strange about the doctor, and now he knew what it was. Aside from being a psychiatrist who resembled the grim reaper, Dr. Lestrange was one of The Viper's lackeys. In fact he was almost completely certain that the person on the other end was The Viper herself. After a minute or so, Dr. Lestrange ended his conversation. He then reached into one of the drawers in his desk, before turning around to face Amelda once again. The only difference was that the doctor now had an eerie looking grin plastered across his gaunt ghoulish face. _You bastard..._

"You're one of them aren't you?" hissed Amelda as he narrowed his eyes and looked straight into the doctor's eyes "You're a part of The Society!"

"And you're someone who needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut" said Dr. Lestrange as he suddenly stood up and revealed that he was holding a green syringe "But this should do the trick"

"What the Hell?" exclaimed Amelda as the doctor walked around the desk and towards him with the syringe pointed at him "What is-AHHHH!"

Dr. Lestrange roughly shoved the needle into Amelda's neck causing him to cry out in pain. While he intended to give him the entire contents of the syringe, a suddenly blow to the groin put a stop to the doctor's plans. As Dr. Lestrange fell to the ground doubling over in pain, Amelda quickly yanked the syringe out of his neck...but it was too late. His entire body suddenly went completely limp and he fell to the floor, but this was only the beginning...

_"What's happening to me?" _thought Amelda as he lay there facedown on the cold tiled ground _"Why can't I move my body?"_

"You mangy bastard..." growled Dr. Lestrange as he painfully gripped the side of his desk and pulled himself off of the floor "Now you'll pay for what you did to me!"

After a minute or so, Amelda's entire body began to twitch violently and he began to scream hysterically. Dr. Lestrange immediately called in the guards, who were shocked to find the redhead in such a state. Dr. Lestrange shook his head and told them that redhead was a deeply disturbed individual. Therefore it was necessary to keep him under close observation and away from others. Luckily Odysseus' cell was now empty, so it would be the perfect place to keep him. The guards quickly nodded, grabbed the seemingly insane redhead, and dragged him towards the maximum security ward. Amelda desperately struggled to regain control of his body and shout the truth, but it was no use. _Somebody help me..._

_"I can't believe this happened to ya mate" _thought Varon miserably as he trudged down a snow covered sidewalk _"Even now that, that Gardner bloke confessed his crime"_

After running out of Raphael's office in such an unexpected fashion, Varon ended up roaming the streets of Domino. He didn't really care where he was going, nor did he care about the cold air nipping at his face. Then again his mind was preoccupied with the fact that Amelda had been unfairly sent to prison. Having been unjustly imprisoned himself, he knew exactly what awaited his friend. Every day was a struggle for survival while locked in a place full of murderers, rapists, and other sick twisted individuals. _It's something I'm still tryin to forget..._

_"Ya don't deserve to be in there" _thought Varon as he kicked a rolled up newspaper that someone had dropped in the snow _"Even with all the things that happened in our past"_

Varon couldn't ignore the fact that there had been a time in which Amelda had wanted nothing more than to destroy Seto Kaiba. In fact he had been willing to kill himself, as long as he could take Kaiba down with him. Then again that was during the time in which Amelda, Raphael, and Varon believed in the lies that Dartz had told them. Lies, which along with the Orichalcos stones, were tools the Atlantean used to darken the hearts and souls of his minions. _But everything changed after the Pharoah defeated that bastard..._

_"We weren't completely filled with hatred anymore" _thought Varon as he stopped and looked up at the sun in the wintery sky _"And we finally got to see the good in the world"_

After the Doom Organization disbanded, life changed drastically for the three swordsmen. Even though they went their seperate ways for about a year or so, they ended up together once again. While each of them had changed to a certain extent, they had managed to keep some traits. So even though Amelda was no longer consumed with thoughts of revenge, he was still moody, difficult, and sometimes weird. He was still a good person though and even if he did dislike Tea, there was no way he'd purposely harm her.

_"I just hope Tea wakes up and gets better soon" _thought Varon as he reached the end of the street and prepared to cross it _"But I still can't believe that crazy bloke is really her dad"_

"Valon!"

_"Huh...?"_

"VALON!"

Even though someone kept shouting out his pseudonym, Varon didn't really pay much attention to it. After all Serenity was the only one who referred to him as "Valon", but he knew it couldn't be her. For one thing it was Tuesday morning, which meant that she was currently at school. It was only until he felt a sudden tug on his sleeve, that Varon finally turned around and looked. Much to his surprise, there stood Serenity wearing a pink jacket, white pants, and white boots. Even though she looked very nice in her current outfit, Varon didn't really seem to notice. The only thing he noticed was the sad and exhausted look on Serenity's pretty face. A look that was almost identical to the one currently on his own face...

"Serenity... what's wrong?" asked Varon as he examined just how red and puffy the girl's eyes currently were "Why do ya look so sad?"

After being at the hospital for so many hours, Serenity and the others were exhausted. Despite this though, none of them really wanted to leave Tea's side. In the end it was Amneris who convinced them to go home and rest. It was no easy task though, and she only accomplished it by promising to call them if there was any change in Tea's health. At that point Yugi, Tristan, Joey, and Serenity were so tired, that Mai decided to take them all home. It was as they stood outside waiting for her, that Serenity noticed Varon at the end of the street. The others were so sleepy at that point though, that they didn't even notice when she wandered off.

"I think I should ask you the same thing" said Serenity who couldn't help but notice the dark circles under Varon's eyes "What's wrong?"

"My friend..." said Varon as he lowered his head and looked down at the sidewalk as he spoke "Last night he was arrested and accused of a crime he didn't commit..."

"Oh that's terrible..." said Serenity as her soft innocent brown eyes opened wide and were filled with genuine concern "How is he?"

"I dunno..." said Varon with a sad sigh as he raised his head back up and looked at Serenity once again "They already took him down to the maximum security jail..."

"I hope he gets out soon" said Serenity who had never heard of anyone being arrested for a crime they hadn't committed "Especially if he's innocent"

"I hope so too" said Varon who gave a little smile since he knew that her words were well meaning and completely sincere "So...why are ya so sad?"

"I'm sad because..." sniffed Serenity whose eyes began to fill with tears when she remembered why she was there "One of my friends is dying..."

Before Varon knew what was happening, Serenity threw herself into his arms and began to sob. Even though she had left the hospital, the image of Tea lying there in a coma still haunted her. She was a good friend and it was difficult to accept that she could die at any moment. As Serenity cried, Varon wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. After all he couldn't even imagine what it would be like if one of his friends were dying. _And I hope I never have to find out..._

"Da only thing I want right now is ta catch some z's"said Joey as he rubbed his eyes and struggled to keep from falling asleep on the spot "Right guys?"

Apparently everyone agreed with Joey, since the only response he recieved was a loud snore and some mumbling. When he looked over he noticed that Tristan and Yugi were sleeping as they leaned against a mailbox. After all Mai was taking such a long time getting her car that despite their best efforts, both young men couldn't stay awake any longer. Joey yawned and was extremely tempted to join them, but then he suddenly realized something...

"Serenity?" asked Joey as he sleepily looked around and noticed that his little sister wasn't there "Hey where'd she go?"

Even though Joey had been awake the entire time, he didn't notice when Serenity snuck off. Therefore he had no idea how long she had been gone, or where she had headed. Joey guessed that Serenity hadn't gone too far, since she knew that they were waiting for their ride home. Then again seeing how sleepy they all were, it was possible that she could have gotten disoriented. So despite the urge to fall asleep like his friends, Joey got up and decided to look for Serenity. _It's my duty ta look out for my little sis no matter how tired I am..._

"I just hope she's not stuck in da bathroom..." muttered Joey sleepily as he began to take a few steps down the sidewalk "Cause if she is den dere's nothin' dat I can do..."

As Joey began his search for Serenity, he noticed that there weren't really that many people outside. After there was still some snow outside, so naturally everyone would be indoors. So far the only people he could see were a nurse, a man in a labcoat, and a young couple. As Joey walked along he passed by the nurse, who gave him a little smile and a nod. He then passed the man in the labcoat who turned out to be a doctor since his coat had the name "Dr. Langdon" embroidered on it. The doctor was quickly trying to guzzle down a cup of coffee since he was late for work. The only two people left were the young couple who were currently hugging, but they were all the way at the end of the street. One was a young man with wild brown hair who was wearing an untucked blue shirt and a pair of dark slacks. He was facing in the opposite direction though, so Joey wasn't able to see his face. As he got closer though, Joey realized exactly who the girl in the guy's arms was...

"HUH?" exclaimed Joey who snapped out of his sleep deprived state upon seeing his little sister in such a situation "SERENITY?"

"Valon"said Serenity who was completely oblivious to the fact that her older brother was only a few feet away "I'm glad I ran into you today"

"I feel the same way sheila" said Varon as he brought a hand up and began to stroke her long shiny auburn hair "Seeing you makes me feel-"

"WHAT DA HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" shouted Joey as he immediately pulled the young couple apart "Who da Hell do ya think-YOU?"

"Huh?" exclaimed Varon as his sky blue eyes opened wide in disbelief when he realized who was standing in front of him "Wheeler?"

As Varon's eyes locked with Joey's, a swirl of memories came to his mind. He was taken back to that fateful duel in which neither one was willing to back down. They both fought with everything they, but in the end Joey was the victor. While Varon had eventually accepted this fact, but seeing the blonde again awakened old feelings of jealousy. After all Mai had picked him, which had made Varon feel completely worthless. Then again fate was kind to spiky haired brunette, since it put Serenity in his path. So what on Earth was Joey's reason for being angry and interrupting them in such a way? Meanwhile Joey was trying to make sense of the situation, but then it finally hit him._ Valon..._

"Wait...you two know each other?" asked Serenity as she looked up at Varon and then at her older brother "Oh this is really-"

"I shoulda known it was you!" shouted Joey as he suddenly reached out and grabbed Varon's shirt as roughly as he could "I'm not gonna let ya get away with dis!"

"Get your hands offa me Wheeler!" shouted Varon as he pulled Joey's hands off of his shirt and pushed him back "I don't even know what you're talkin' about!"

"Don't play dumb with me Aussie!" screamed Joey as his entire face began to turn red from the rage he was feeling "Ya know damn well what I'm talkin about!"

"What's your problem mate?" said Varon who still had absolutely no idea why Joey was acting in such an irrational way "Did ya lose your mind or somethin'?"

"Joey!" cried Serenity who couldn't understand why her older brother was acting in such a strange way "Why are you doing this?"

"Serenity..." said Joey in as calm a voice as he could muster at such a heated moment "Do ya have any idea who dis guy is?"

"Of course I do!" said Serenity who began to wonder whether the lack of sleep was responsible for Joey's behavior "This is Valon!"

"Ya know if ya were gonna use a fake name" said Joey with a slight chuckle and a weak nod before he looked directly into Varon's eyes "Ya shoulda picked a better one"

"Fake name?" asked Serenity as she suddenly looked up at her older brother with a confused look in her eyes "What are you talking about?"

"Stay out of this Wheeler!" snapped Varon who had had all he could take of Joey's insane behavior "None of this concerns you!"

"Everythin' dat has ta do with my little sis concerns me!" shouted Joey whose brown eyes were filled with a look of fiery rage

"What?" exclaimed Varon as his eyes suddenly opened wide in disbelief and he quickly looked at Serenity "So you two are-"

**POW**

No longer able to contain his anger over the situation, Joey ran forward and punched Varon in the face. This only served to infuriate the brunette, who wasted no time in retaliating. Within seconds both Joey and Varon were rolling around on the ground brutally kicking and punching each other. Once again they found themselves fighting over a woman, but for entirely different reasons though...

"Ya dirty creep!" growled Joey who had some blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth "I'm gonna make ya pay for comin' near my sis!"

"I didn't know she was your sister.." hissed Varon who now had a black eye along with several other injuries "Besides I haven't done anything wrong!"

"YA LYIN' SCUM!" shouted Joey who wanted to tear Varon limb from limb at hearing such a pathetic lie "I'm gonna-"

"PLEASE STOP FIGHTING!" cried Serenity as she ran forward and stood between Joey and Varon "I can't take this anymore..."

The realization that she had yet once again managed to cause yet another fight was too much for Serenity. Especially since this fight was between her beloved older brother and her current love interest. Seeing the injuries they had inflicted on each other, made everything even more painful for Serenity. Her eyes immediately began to fill with tears, and before long she was crying. The sight Serenity in tears over their fight, was enough to make Joey and Varon stop momentarily. _What have we done?_

"Serenity please don't cry..." said Joey as his brown eyes softened as he looked down at his little sister "I don't wanna see ya like dis"

"I never wanted to hurt ya like this sheila..." said Varon as his sky blue eyes softened while looking down at the auburn haired girl "I'm sorry..."

"But then why are you two even fighting?" said Serenity between muffled sobs as she looked up at both of them "And what was that whole thing about a fake name?"

There was a long awkward silence, but suddenly Varon took a deep breath and spoke. Everything he had told Serenity up to that point was true, except for his name. He honestly liked her though, so felt that it was necessary to clear everything up. He looked deep into her eyes and admitted that "Valon" was actually a pseudonym, and that his real name was Varon. The moment Serenity heard this name her eyes widened in disbelief and she looked over at her brother. Joey just gave a little sigh before nodding his head slightly.

"So you're the same person who tried to take my brother's soul?" said Serenity whose eyes were filled with a mixture of pain and disbelief "How could you?"

"Serenity please-" said Varon as he reached out and gently took both of her hands in his own "It was a different time and I just wasn't seein' things as they really were"

"Don't touch me!" cried Serenity as she immediately pulled her hands away from him "Everything you told me was a lie wasn't it?"

"No!" said Varon who desperately wanted her to realize that it had simply started off as a misunderstanding "I've been completely honest with ya!"

"If you wouldn't even tell me your real name" said Serenity as she moved away from the spiky haired brunette "Then there's no way I can believe you'd tell me the truth!"

"No I swear I've been honest!" cried Varon as he quickly reached out and took a hold of her arm once again "Just let me explain!"

"Get away from me!" cried Serenity whose eyes began to get watery as she pulled her arm away from Varon "I don't ever want to see you again!"

Serenity then spun around and began to run down the street as fast as her legs could carry her. Varon cried out her name and tried to chase her, but was immediately tackled by Joey. He threatened to kill the brunette if he ever came around Serenity again, but it this didn't deter Varon. He roughly shoved the blonde off himself and continued to chase after Serenity. _I'm not about to lose the greatest thing that's ever happened to me..._

"Excellent job class!" said Miss Esmeralda as clapped after her students finished their dance routine "You've all come a long way this semester!"

"Thank you Miss Esmeralda!"

"There was one person though who a little off today" said Miss Esmeralda as she walked over and placed her hand on the barre "But I won't say who"

Even though Miss Esmeralda hadn't named anyone, all eyes in the class shot over to Arielle. Although she was the class primadonna with a penchant for catty remarks, that hadn't been the case on this day. She walked into class with a dazed look on her face, and didn't say a word to anyone. Then when Miss Esmeralda asked them to perform, she appeared completely distracted. There was definitely something unusual about Arielle's behavior, but nobody really cared. After all most of the class was still gossiping about how she had unfairly gotten Tea kicked out of the class.

"Alright I think it's time for a new routine" said Miss Esmeralda as she gracefully twirled around in front of the class "After all I can see that you're definitely ready for one"

Suddenly a loud crashing sound was heard from the door, and everyone quickly spun around to look. The moment they did, they were surprised to see none other than Constantine Von Furstenburg. Several of the girls giggled excitedly since they couldn't believe just how handsome he was. Miss Esmeralda on the other hand was absolutely furious at having someone interrupt her class in such a way.

"What on Earth is wrong with you?" cried Miss Esmeralda as she quickly spun around upon hearing the thunderous crash "Can't you see we're having a class in here?"

"Where is she?" shouted Stan as his green eyes scanned the class full of girls wearing black leotards, pink tights, and pink ballet shoes "WHERE'S ARIELLE?"

"Stan?" said Arielle as she suddenly snapped out of her dazed state upon realizing that her best friend was there "What are you doing-AHHHHHHHH!"

"YOU BITCH!" screamed Stan as he suddenly ran forward and grabbed Arielle by the neck "I KNOW THAT YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE!"

Arielle tried to cry out, but Stan immediately tightened his grip and began to choke her as hard as he could. While all of the girls were in too much shock to even move, Miss Esmeralda couldn't just stand there and watch. She immediately grabbed a folded metal chair, and hit Stan as hard as she could. This caused him to let go of Arielle, who fell to the ground desperately gasping for air.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" screamed Miss Esmeralda who still had the chair in hand just in case "GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Not until everyone in this room knows the kind of person she is!" shouted Stan as his fiery green eyes homed in on the blonde girl on the ground

"A-Are you crazy?" cried Arielle in a strange raspy voice as she coughed and wheezed "W-What are you talking about?"

Stan wasted no time in telling the class what he had found out about Tea. All of the girls and even Miss Esmeralda were visibly shocked by the news. Arielle was perhaps the most shocked looking of all, but Stan just wasn't buying it. He then looked over at the girls and Miss Esmeralda, before telling them that Arielle had hired the person who attacked her. Everyone gasped in horror when they realized that Stan's accusation made sense. After all none of them could forget just how furious Arielle had been when Tea slapped now. Arielle cried out and tried to defend herself, but nobody seemed to believe her. Not caring that he had just betrayed his oldest friend, Stan turned around and walked out of the classroom. _Oh well...no big loss_

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! You guys are the greatest! I'm sure that if you read this chapter in one sitting though, you must have a headache by now. As for Amelda's last name, I picked it because I wanted his first, middle, and last name to start with the same letter. I'm sure that sounds weird huh? Anyways thanks once again! Hugs and kisses people! (tosses chocolates) :)


	24. Vertigo

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters, Ferrari, or Mercedes, so don't sue me:D

**Vertigo**

_"Come on turn green already!" _thought Seto impatiently as he sat behind the wheel of a red Ferrari, while waiting for the light to change "_I don't have all day!"_

While everyday was almost the same in the life of Seto Kaiba, this was not one of those days. First of all he was surprised to find a very sad looking Mokuba sitting at the dining room table. Upon seeing him Mokuba simply got up and walked away without saying anything. Everything was cleared up though the moment that Seto glanced at the morning newspaper. Finding out that his former enemy had attempted to murder two people, was the last thing he had expected to see. While Mokuba was obviously upset because Tea was his friend, he was probably upset at the thought of Amelda doing such a thing.

_"Maybe Gardner cornered him with one of her friendship speeches" _thought Seto who could honestly care less about anyone in the geek squad _"And he had to do something to shut her up"_

After Seto was done drinking the lone cup of coffee he called breakfast, he got his silver briefcase and headed outside. His chauffeur stood there as usual waiting with the limo, but Seto had other plans. He walked right by the limo and headed straight for the massive garage that housed his collection of cars and motorcycles. A few seconds later, the garage door opened and a red Ferrari shot out a full speed. Although Seto owned dozens of cars and motorcycles, Ferraris were his favorite of all. After all they were fast, sleek, and seemed to say "If you don't get out of my way, I will destroy you". _How appropriate considering that's exactly what I plan to do to you Aussie..._

_"Everything he told me was a complete lie" _thought Serenity as she ran down the street, trying to hold back tears _"And worst of all I believed him!"_

Now that Serenity knew that "Valon" was in reality Varon, it felt as if though a part of her world had crumbled. When she first met "Valon" outside the pizza parlor, Serenity honestly never thought she'd see him again. Fate brought them back together though, and gave them a chance to get to know each other. Before long she knew that Valon was a friendly person with a good personality, and a great sense of humor. He was always fun to be around, and Serenity enjoyed every moment she spent with him. He also seemed very sincere which was another of things that she liked about him. _Now I know he's anything but sincere..._

"Why can't I ever see these things for myself?" sobbed Serenity as she jumped onto a crosswalk and prepared to run across "Am I really that-AHHHHHH!"

At this point Serenity was cold, tired, upset, and the only thing she wanted was to get in bed and sleep. In her rush though, she failed to notice a patch of ice which caused her slip and land facedown in front of a car that was about to cross the street. The car was an expensive looking red sports car with windows so heavily tinted, that it was impossible to see the driver. Meanwhile Seto couldn't believe that had managed to find Serenity without even trying. Now he could give her the papers and enjoy every second of her reaction to them. He quickly opened up his door and immediately ran over to pull her off the icy pavement. Serenity only gave a weak little whimper as she felt herself being pulled off of the ground. When she looked up, she found herself look up at none other than Seto Kaiba. At this point she was so overwhelmed by everything, that she threw herself into his arms and began to cry like crazy. Taking advantage of the unexpected situation, Seto wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest. _Now this is the way it should be..._

"Why did he do it?" asked Serenity between muffled sobs as she closed her eyes and grasped the front of Seto's black turtleneck "Why would he lie to me all this time?"

"Who lied to you?" asked Seto as he held Serenity in his arms and enjoyed the feeling of her body pressing against his

"That creep who tried to take my brother's soul" sobbed Serenity as she choked up as she remembered what had just taken place a few minutes earlier "Varon..."

As soon as she said this, Serenity began to sob louder than ever and buried her face in Seto's shirt. Seto on the other hand couldn't believe what he had just heard. Somehow Serenity had found out Varon's true identity, and she reacted just like expected. She was completely upset and obviously wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Best of all Seto didn't even have to get involved, since everything happened on it's own. _Now all I have to do is sit back and savor my victory..._

_"I have to catch up to her and explain everything!" _thought Varon who was not going to let things with Serenity end in such a way _"After all I really have been tellin' her the truth all this time"_

Even though a few months back Varon thought Mai was the only woman who could make him happy, he now felt differently. The moment Serenity came into his life, he discovered what true happiness was. Unlike Varon whose rough life had caused him to mature quickly, Serenity was still quite innocent for her age. She was a kind, sweet, and genuine person who only wanted what was best for everyone. The times during which they had gone out together, had been some of the most memorable for Varon. They talked, laughed, and completely enjoyed each other's company. In fact Serenity seemed so unbelievably perfect sometimes, that Varon sometimes felt that she was actually an angel in disguise. Unfortunately it was that same kind and trusting nature, that led to situation he was currently in. After all now that Serenity knew that he had lied about one thing, she automatically assumed everything else had been a lie as well.

_"I just hope that she's willing to give me another chance" _thought Varon as he headed towards a pedestrian crosswalk up ahead _"After all I really care about her and-WHAT THE HELL?"_

The moment Varon saw Seto Kaiba with his arms around Serenity, it was as if though time came to a standstill. He couldn't move and the only thing he could do was stand there with a shocked look on his face. Meanwhile Seto noticed the other brunette and immediately flashed his cockiest and most triumphant grin. Then as if to show Varon the extent of his victory, he immediately began to stroke Serenity's long auburn hair. Varon was completely overcome with rage at this point, but there was another feeling that was even stronger. While he longed to run forward and pull Serenity away from Seto, a part of him felt as if though it was too late. Even if he could get her to listen to him, that didn't guarantee that she would care about what he had to say. After all how could a lowly personal assistant like him, ever stack up to a CEO like Seto Kaiba?

_"I used to think that I was worthless" _thought Varon as he felt he tried to hold in the feelings of anger and sadness _"But now I know that I really am"_

No longer able to take anymore of the sight before him, Varon immediately turned around and ran away. Seto on the other hand was feel extraordinarily confident, so he turned his attention down to his newfound prize. Much to his dismay though, Serenity suddenly looked up, pulled away from him, and ran off without saying a word. After everything that had happened that day, she just wanted to be alone. At first Seto frowned while watching her run off into the distance, but it was quickly replaced with a smirk. After all he had nothing to worry about anymore, since nothing stood between him and Serenity. So he got behind the wheel of his car, hit the gas, and sped off in the direction of Kaiba Corp._ Now everything will finally fall into place..._

"I can't believe I lost so much time" said Mai as she finally managed to exit the parking structure "I just hope that Joey and the others are still waiting for me"

Even though Mai had found her car fairly quickly, she hadn't counted on someone blocking her in. The culprit was a brand new shiny black Mercedes that had been left with it's emergency lights flashing. Mai growled at the sight of the car since she knew that she had no choice but to sit there and wait. After about twenty minutes or so, a woman finally walked up to the car. While Mai had been determined to give the driver a piece of her mind, she froze when she realized that the woman was Constantina. After all Mai was a fashion fanatic, and this woman was one of her favorite designers. Constantina smiled and apologized for leaving the car there, but she had simply stopped by to a pick up a friend. Surely enough a few moments later an auburn hair woman quietly walked up and got into the car. So after the unusual run in with her fashion idol, Mai was finally able to get out and pick up her friends. She didn't have to go very far since Yugi and Tristan were right down the street, but the wait had obviously been too long for them...

"No...you can't have her Devlin" muttered Tristan in his sleep as he suddenly embraced the mailbox he was leaning up against "She's mine..."

"No..." groaned Yugi in his sleep as he suddenly swung one of his arms out as if though reaching up for something "Please don't leave me..."

"While I hate to interrupt their dreams" said Mai as she glanced over at the two young men muttering in their sleep "I have to do this"

**HONK!**

"Huh?"

"Wh-What?"

"Sorry about that hons" said Mai as Yugi and Tristan jumped up at the sudden sound "But it's time to rise and shine"

"Oh..." said Yugi as he yawned while rubbing his violet eyes and slowly pulling himself off of the ground "It's you Mai..."

"About time..." muttered Tristan as he pulled himself up and began to stagger towards the car "I can't wait to get in bed..."

"Hey where's Joey?" asked Mai when she noticed that the two of them were the only ones there "And Serenity?"

"Huh?" said Yugi sleepily as he looked around for a moment and realized what Mai was talking about "They're right-Hey where did they go?"

"I dunno" said Tristan who simply flopped over the side of the convertible and right into the back seat "They were just here a minute ago..."

Due to the fact that Yugi and Tristan had been sleeping, there was no way to tell where the Wheelers had gone. While they could just be right around the corner, they could have just as well decided to go home. After all Mai did take a pretty long time, then again it just didn't make sense. For one thing Joey was so tired that he couldn't even walk in a straight line. Then again he was pretty stubborn and might've felt that he would be able to walk home. Naturally Serenity wouldn't let him go alone in such a state, even if she was just as tired. While Mai tried to figure out what could have happened, she heard a strange shuffling sound approaching, so she looked up. The moment she did, her violet eyes opened wide, and she cried out in shock. Yugi and Tristan immediately jumped up at that moment and looked over to see why she had screamed. Only then did they also see a bruised and beaten Joey, painfully shuffling towards them...

"Dis ain't over ya creep..." muttered Joey as he slowly shuffled along trying to ignore the sharp pain coming from his ribs "I'll get back at ya for hurtin' my little sis like dis..."

"JOEY!" cried Mai as she immediately ran up to him and gasped as she looked at all the painful injuries he had "What happened to you?"

"I got into a fight..." said Joey as he tried to best to conceal the pain he was in, when he realized how worried Mai was "But I'd do it again if I had ta..."

"What?" cried Mai who could tell that Joey was trying to act tough and hide just how much pain he was in "What could be worth getting beaten up like this?"

"I did it for Serenity" said Joey whose brown eyes filled with a sudden newfound strength upon think of his sister "After all I can't let dat creep Varon think dat he use her and den hurt her.."

The moment Joey mentioned Varon, Mai didn't even know what to say. After all she knew that there was some sort of relationship between Varon and Serenity, yet she never told Joey. Perhaps it was because she knew that he might react violently due to his role of protective older brother. Or perhaps the reason she didn't say anything was because of what she had seen with her own eyes. The first time Mai saw Varon and Serenity together, the look on his face was unlike anything she had ever seen. He was genuinely happy and looked as if though he didn't have a care in the world. Mai didn't want to take that away from him and she felt no one had any right to do so. Now that she looked at the conditions Joey was in though, she realized her fears had come true. _I didn't want things to end up like this..._

_"Varon's probably in the exact same condition right now" _thought Mai as her violet eyes filled with a tormented look _"I just hope Serenity didn't have to witness this"_

"WHAT?" exclaimed Tristan who was suddenly completely alert when he heard what Joey had said "What about that guy and Serenity?"

"Dat creep was goin' out with my sis" said Joey who felt the anger beginning to boil in his vein at the mere thought "And she was beginnin' ta like him alot..."

"I remember Tea told me that she'd seen Varon" said Yugi who began to recall a conversation that he had with Tea several months before "But I never thought that-"

"THAT BASTARD!" shouted Tristan unexpectedly as he jumped up and looked like a bull about ready to charge "WHERE IS HE? LET ME AT HIM!"

"Dat creep ran off after Serenity" said Joey as he suddenly lowered his head and brought his hand up to his ribs "I tried ta go after them but I couldn't because-"

"Because you're too hurt" said Mai as she suddenly stepped forward and took Joey by the arm like a child "Well we'd better have a doctor get a look at you"

"Huh? Wait I feel fine!" cried Joey who honestly didn't like the thought of some doctor poking and prodding him "In fact I feel really good!"

_**Poke**_

"YEOW! Why'd ya poke me Tristan?"

"To see if you were really hurt"

"Ya wanna piece of me tough guy? Cause if ya do den-OW!"

Before Joey knew what was happening, Mai was dragging him along by the ear. After all if he wasn't going to go willingly, she would make him go by any means necessary. Yugi tried his hardest not to laugh, but decided to go with them. Tristan on the other hand decided to stay behind, but he was now in deep thought. For years he had tried his hardest to impress Serenity and hopefully win her heart. She never really seemed to notice his intentions though, and treated him as a friend. Duke Devlin had tried similar attempts, but was also seen as merely a friend. While Tristan had attributed Serenity's naivete for this, he now realized that maybe he was the naive one. After all he allowed himself to believe that he could make her love him if he tried hard enough. It had all been in vain though since Serenity's heart did belong to someone, but not to him. _I feel as if though one of my dreams has been crushed before my very eyes..._

"This is the worst day of my life..." sniffled Amneris as she reached for a box of tissues that was nearly empty at that point "Everything from the past is coming back to haunt me"

Even though she intended to wait at the hospital as long as necessary, Amneris got a surprise. Constantina showed up since she wanted to know how Odysseus and Tea were doing. While she was happy to hear that Odysseus was awake, she was sad to hear about Tea. Amneris began to tell her what Odysseus claimed, but Constantina stopped her. After all they were in a public place and it was possible that one of The Viper's spies could be nearby. So after a quick drive, they arrived at Amneris' apartment where they could speak in private. It was only then that she was able to tell her that Odysseus claimed The Viper had controlled his mind. Constantina's brown eyes filled with an anguished look, and she quickly turned her attention to a nearby wall. _I can't believe she's gotten this powerful..._

"I don't understand why she'd extend her grudge like this" said Constantina as she noticed a picture of Amneris with her newborn on the wall "Especially since I'm guiltier of far more than you"

"I don't know why you keep saying that Victoria" sniffled Amneris as she blew her nose and balled up the piece of tissue "You're a good person and you've never killed anyone"

_"There's alot about me that you don't know" _thought Constantina to herself as her eyes traveled over to her friend _"Especially the things she kept even from you"_

"But even now I have another thing to worry about" said Amneris with a small hiccup as she tossed the tissue into a small wastebasket "That man who I thought had attacked Odysseus and Tea..."

Knowing Amneris, Constantina had a good feeling of why she had worried. After all if she had been anywhere near Amelda, she had definitely caused him some physical harm. Much to her surprise though Amneris revealed that she was actually worried for an entirely different reason. For one thing the redhead knew the nickname she used during her days as an assassin. Second of all he knew that the attack on Odysseus and Tea was The Viper's way of getting revenge on Amneris. Constantina on the other hand wasn't really surprised that the redhead had managed to discover the truth. After all Mr. Anderson had also managed to discover that she had once been in The Society Of Assassins. _But Ulysses promised never to reveal the truth..._

"He'll probably tell the police everything after what I did to him" sniffled Amneris as she grabbed another tissue and wiped her eyes "And then I'll go straight to prison for-"

_**Knock Knock Knock**_

"Who is it?" cried out Amneris since she was honestly didn't feel like opening if it was something unimportant _"Hopefully not a door to door salesman"_

"Amneris it's me" cried Mrs. Dominguez from the other side of the door "There's something that I have to ask you"

"Alright give me a moment..." said Amneris as she quickly got up and immediately headed to open the door "What do you want to-"

When she opened the door she found Mrs. Dominguez standing there, but she was accompanied by a young man. The moment Amneris saw the young man, her jaw dropped. He was a tall slender teenager with fair skin, messy brownish red hair, and steel grey eyes. For a moment Amneris could have sworn it was Amelda, but then she noticed something. Even though she was probably half his size, Mrs. Dominguez was gripping the young man tightly by the forearm. _I guess she found him lurking around in the building..._

"Can you let go of me please?" asked Alex who couldn't understand why this crazy little woman was treating him like a child "I already told you why I'm here"

"All I know is that you're a liar young man" said Mrs. Dominguez as she looked straight up at the young man and then at Amneris "He claims that his name is Alex and that he's a friend of Tea's"

"But my name really is Alex!" exclaimed Alex who didn't understand why this woman completely refused to believe him "And I am one of Tea's friends"

"You can't fool me since I've met Alex and you're not him!" said Mrs. Dominguez as she tightened her grip on Alex's arm "Am I right Amneris?"

"Well I've never really seen him before" said Amneris as she examined the teenager standing in front of him "But then again I haven't been-"

"Alex dahling!" suddenly cried Constantina as she teetered over and hugged the poor boy as hard as she could "I knew I recognized that voice!"

"Uh..it's nice to see you too" said Alex as he found himself in one of Constantina's overzealous rib fracturing hugs _"Why is this crazy woman here?"_

"Do you know him?" asked Mrs. Dominguez and Amneris in unison when they saw what was happening

"Of course I do!" exclaimed Constantina happily as continued to cling to Alex like an annoying barnacle "And I happen to know that this cutie is a good friend of Tea's!"

As soon as she said this, a look of embarassment came across Mrs. Dominguez's face. After all she had never seen the young man before, and she simply assumed he was up to no good. It had never really occurred to her that maybe Tea had more than one friend named Alex. So after turning several shades of red, she excused herself and quickly walked off. When Constantina finally let go of him, Alex immediately looked over at Amneris. Although he had never met her before, he knew she was Tea's mother since they looked so much alike. He explained that he wanted to see Tea, but he didn't know which hospital she was in. As Amneris looked at Alex, his resemblance to Amelda made her uneasy. After all she didn't know if was a connection between them, therefore she didn't know whether to trust him. It was only until she glanced over at Constantina and recieved a smile, that she knew he could be trusted. _If Victoria says he can be trusted, then I know it's true..._

_"Where is he?" _thought Raphael as he looked out the large window located directly behind his desk _"I just hope that he's alright"_

After Varon ran out so abruptly, Raphael had spent the entire time worry about him. Although they were both upset about everything that had happened to Amelda, Varon was clearly taking it harder. After all they were roommates which meant that the redhead's abscence was far more notable. Raphael also knew that even if neither one admitted it, Varon and Amelda considered each other friends. After all they had all been through so much together, that they depended on each other. As Raphael sat there pondering everything, he heard someone turn the doorknob, and realized it was Varon. After all the brunette was the only person who never knocked, and simply walked right in. The moment Varon came in, Raphael's jaw dropped when he saw the terrible condition he was in. He was badly bruised, had some blood on his shirt, and his right eye was completely swollen shut. He looked straight at Raphael for a second, before suddenly falling to his knees.

"Serenity..." whispered Varon as he felt his entire body begin to tremble from the pain, both physical and emotional _"Why?"_

"Varon!" exclaimed Raphael as he immediately ran over and knelt down before the younger man "What happened?"

Unfortunately Varon was so upset that it seemed as if though he didn't even realize that Raphael was there. The only thing going through his mind, was the painful realization that he had lost Serenity for good. Then again it seemed as if though his relationship with her had been doomed from the start. He never would have imagined that was Joey Wheeler's little sister...but did it really matter? After all whenever he saw her, the only thing he saw was a girl who liked him and understood him. That was mainly the reason he was so determined to find her and explain everything. Unfortunately all of his hopes of convincing her, were destroyed upon seeing her with Seto Kaiba. After all Seto was very wealthy and could give Serenity absolutely anything that she wanted. While a part of him didn't want to believe it was over, he knew that he had to accept the facts...

"She's gone..." whispered Varon with watery sky blue eyes, as he finally looked up at Raphael "I've lost her Raph..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Raphael who at that moment was far more concerned with his physical injuries

"Serenity..." muttered Varon as he sniffled and wiped his eye in an attempt to hide the fact that he was crying "I've lost her for good..."

Varon then slowly pulled himself off of the ground and immediately walked over towards the window. He then pressed his hand against the cold window and looked straight at the nearby KaibaCorp building. He then pressed his face against the window, clenched his fist, and let out a pain filled sob. _I don't want to live without you Serenity..._

**Three Weeks Later**

_"Okay so far so good" _thought the nurse as she walked down the long corridor in the maximum security ward _"But I still have to check Odysseus' cell"_

As usual under the orders of Dr. Lestrange, the nurse was checking on all of the prisoners in the maximum security ward. So far it had been a pretty good day since nobody had attacked her, but that could very well change. Even though Odysseus was no longer there, he had been replaced by a man just as violent and insane. As the nurse walked up to the cell door, there was one thing she couldn't help but wonder about. When the guards first brought Amelda in, he seemed perfectly sane. While he was obviously uncooperative, he seemed fairly calm and quiet. All of that changed the moment he went into Dr. Lestrange's office though...

_"He went in there seemingly sane" _thought the nurse as she looked at the ominous metal door before her _"But he came out a complete lunatic like Odysseus"_

Dr. Lestrange had Amelda locked in Odysseus' cell, and gave strict orders to have none of the other psychiatrists enter the cell. The other psychiatrists of course had no choice but to obey, since Dr. Lestrange was the head psychiatrist. Then again Amelda's hysterical screaming and banging on the cell door, made them realize that maybe it was for the best. The only person allowed to get somewhat close was the nurse, but now she was beginning to grow suspicious...

_"When I see this young man" _thought the nurse as she looked up at the metal slot located on the top of the cell door _"I can't help but notice some similarities to Odysseus"_

After many years of working in the psychiatric ward, the nurse knew Odysseus' routine by heart. While his eating and sleeping patterns were random, there was one pattern that never failed. During the first week of every month, Odysseus would spend entire days and nights screaming hysterically. He would also violently bang against the cell door and curse nonstop. On the second week of the month Odysseus would still scream, but only during the day. On the third week of the month, he would occasionally scream during various points of the day. On the last week of the month, Odysseus was completely quiet and would huddle up in the center of his cell. So far Amelda had followed Odysseus' pattern exactly for the past three weeks. So even though he was currently quiet, the nurse knew that she had to be on guard.

_"Please let him be asleep" _thought the nurse as she cautiously opened the slot and peered into the cell _"For the love of God please let him-"_

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

At that moment a long thin arm reached out through slot and managed to grab her by the forearm. The moment the nurse saw Amelda's arm, she couldn't help but notice something disturbing. His once fair skin had now taken on the same sickly grey hue that Odysseus' skin had. This completely shocked her since absolutely none of the other prisoners suffered from this. _Wait a second...he's grabbing my arm!_

"No!" exclaimed the nurse as she pulled free and struggled to push Amelda's arm back through the slot "Keep your hands away from me!"

_"Please.." _thought Amelda as he desperately struggled in order to try and get her attention _"You have to help me..."_

_"Something is very wrong here!" _thought the nurse as she stared at the sickly greyish skin on his arm _"This can't be a mere coincidence"_

At this point the similiarities between Odysseus and Amelda were far too great to ignore. Both had arrived at the prison accused of murder and went insane shortly after being imprisoned. Their symptoms of madness were exactly the same, not to mention the greyish hued their skin developed. The only other thing they had in common was that both were seen only by Dr. Lestrange. Could it be that the doctor was somehow responsible for their insanity? No...that would stand against everything that a doctor stood for. Then again the nurse always had a feeling that there was something unusual about Dr. Lestrange. But if he truly was responsible, then she had to let someone know in order to stop him. Unfortunately this would be very difficult since Dr. Lestrange was one of the most respected men in his field. She would need concrete proof before even attempting to tell the head of the prison, which meant only one thing. She would have to find Odysseus' old record in order to show proof of the similarities she had noted. So after quite a struggle, the nurse managed to get Amelda's arm back into the cell, before closing the slot on the door. She then quickly headed out of the ward, slamming the metal door shut behind her. _If I don't do something, then nobody will..._

_"No... _thought Amelda who had heard the nurse slamming the door shut somewhere in the distance _"I have to get out of here..."_

When Amelda heard metal door slam shut, he knew that the only person who might be able to help him was gone. Although he had slowly begun to regain a bit of control over his body, it still wasn't enough. He was still having random bouts of hysterical screaming, accompanied by violent twitching. The rest of the time though wasn't necessarily any better for him though. After all now that Amelda was stuck in a lone dark cell, he only had his memories to keep him company. While he had lots of good memories, it seemed that he had far more bad ones. Miruko's death was the biggest one, and it kept replaying itself over and over in his mind. Amelda sighed unhappily and tried to lean against a well, but then it happened. He was overcome with a feeling of vertigo so strong, that fell flat on his face. When he finally managed to pull himself back up, he found himself looking at something unexpected...

_"Miruko?" _thought Amelda whose grey eyes opened wide in shock when he realized who he was seeing _"Is that really you?"_

"Yeah it's me and I'm here to tell you something" said Miruko as a sudden look of anger came across his cute little face "I hate you!"

_"What? How could you say that?"_ thought Amelda who couldn't believe what he had just heard his beloved little brother say _"After all I love you so much"_

"I hate you because you're completely useless!" cried Miruko whose grey eyes were filled with a look of pure hatred "You let me die Amelda!"

_"I didn't mean to let it happen.." _thought Amelda as he suddenly extended his hand as if though reaching out to Miruko _"I would go back and change everything if I could..."_

"Liar!" screamed Miruko as his grey eyes suddenly turned green and began to glow ominously

_"No it's true Miruko!" _thought Amelda as he desperately crawled towards where Miruko was standing _"If I could go back I would and-"_

Miruko was suddenly completely engulfed in a green light so bright, that Amelda was temporarily blinded. When the green light subsided, he quickly looked up to see if his little brother was there. Instead of Miruko, Amelda found himself looking up at someone he had never wanted to see again. _You wrecked my life..._

_"You lying bastard..." _thought Amelda as a look of pure fiery anger filled his steel grey eyes _"You're the one who killed my brother..."_

"You should really stop blaming others for your problems" said Dartz as he looked down at Amelda mockingly with his mismatched eyes "It's really a bad habit"

_"You're the one who started the war that destroyed my home" _said Amelda who felt like jumping up and tearing Dartz to pieces _"You're also the one who took my family from me"_

"But it was you who handed your brother over to the soldier in the tank" said Dartz very casually as he tossed a strand of hair behind his back "Therefore you're the one who killed him"

At this point Amelda was so enraged that he tried his best to attack Dartz, but he was too weak. Dartz's eyes suddenly turned green, and he too was engulfed by a bright green light. This time Amelda found himself looking up at someone that he was actually happy to see. Unfortunately she obviously didn't feel the same way, judging by the look on her face.

"I don't know why I believed in you" said Tea whose dark blue eyes were filled with a look of sadness and disappointment "I should have known you couldn't protect me..."

_"I tried to protect you Tea" _thought Amelda who somehow found the strength to crawl towards her _"I really did..."_

"If you couldn't even save your little brother" said Tea as she looked away sadly before looking down at the ground "Then what hope did I have?"

_"Please forgive me..."_ thought Amelda as he looked up at her with a pained look in his steel grey eyes _"I'd give anything to have Miruko and you forgive me_..."

"You expect forgiveness?" scoffed Tea as she put her hands on her hips and her eyes suddenly turned green "You're even more pathetic than I thought!"

Tea then began to laugh mockingly, and before long she was in completely hysterics. The way she was laughing as if though she were witnessing the funniest thing that she had ever seen. Tears streamed down her cheeks at that point, and the bright green light appeared around her body. When Amelda was able to see, he wasn't really sure what to think. Directly in front of him was a small black cobra with shimmery wings and glowing green eyes. It exposed it's long white fangs for a second, before doing something completely unexpected. _What the Hell? Is this thing laughing at me?_

"Poor stupid Amelda..." laughed/hissed Quetzalcoatl as it spoke in a voice that was both masculine yet feminine "Can't even take a little game..."

_"Wait...I've seen this thing before" _thought Amelda who recalled the night that Tea and Odysseus were attacked _"Only it was alot bigger"_

"Don't let my appearance fool you" hissed Quetzalcoatl as it mockingly shook the end of it's tail right at him "I'm the leader of The Society Of Assassins"

_"Why are you here?" _thought Amelda as he looked at the bizarre talking snake who claimed to be The Viper _"What the Hell do you want?""_

"I'm here because you were foolish enough to try and stop my plans" hissed Quetzalcoatl as if gently flapped it's wings "Now you'll pay for your stupidity"

_"You bitch.." _thought Amelda who felt the anger boiling in his veins as he looked down at this bizarre creature _"I'll make you pay for what you did to Tea!"_

"I honestly doubt that" hissed Quetzalcoatl who was amused with just how furious it had managed to make the redhead "Especially since you're going to spend the rest of your days in this cell"

"Wretched snake..." slurred Amelda whose anger was so great that he slowly managed to regain control of his speech "I'll kill you with my bare hands!"

"If I were you I'd commit suicide" hissed Quetzalcoatl as it shook it's head at his pathetic attempts to break free from the serum in his bloodstream "After all it's not like you have anything to live for anymore"

The winged serpent's taunting was too much, and Amelda couldn't take it anymore. He grit his teeth and immediately reached out towards it, but Quetzalcoatl flew up into the air. Much to it's surprise though, Amelda suddenly jumped up and grabbed it by the end of it's tail. When Quetzalcoatl realized what had happened, it's green eyes began to glow and it bared its fangs. Suddenly Amelda was once again overcome with the same feeling of vertigo, and fell to the floor. When he opened his eyes and sat up, he realized that he was all alone in his cell. _How much more of this do I have to take before I go completely insane?_

"You're a bold one aren't you Amelda?" said The Viper with a slight smirk on her face as she looked at Downtown Domino from her window "No one's ever dared to threaten me like that before"

While The Viper wasn't happy that Odysseus was still alive and in the hospital, she wasn't really worried. After all he would most likely be sent back to prison, where she could easily have Dr. Lestrange finish him off. In the meantime though, The Viper had found a new source of amusement: Amelda. Thanks to the the serum Dr. Lestrange administered, along with her own powers, The Viper had spent the past weeks tormenting him. After all she could see his thoughts and memories, and use them to her advantage. _I've made him relive the worst moments of his life over and over..._

_"But among the memories I've seen" _thought The Viper as she glanced over to the side of town where the penitentiary was located _"There's some that intrigue me"_

Of all of Amelda's memories, The Viper was fascinated with his memories from his days in the Doom Organization. During this time he had been completely filled with anger, hatred, and a thirst for revenge. He also seemed to have a complete disregard for others, and was willing to do anything to achieve his goal. The Viper was honestly impressed since his feelings seemed to rival Angel's. In fact Amelda had absolutely all of the makings of a ruthless assassin. _Just the type of person I'm always looking for..._

"It's a pity he repented though" said The Viper as she glanced up over at the Azure Inc standing in the distance "Especially now that I'm in search of a new top assassin"

After the Doom Organization disbanded, Amelda's heart was no longer filled with the same darkness. While he wasn't a completely different person, he was no longer consumed with anger and hatred. The Viper shook her head since she felt that the redhead could have easily become her top minion. Unfortunately he chose a different path, the path of a fool as The Viper called it. _Then again I'm always in need of a fool to torture, and he fits the role just perfectly..._

"I can't believe you're telling me this" said Mr. Anderson as he sat in his office with a look of complete and utter surprise plastered on his face "It's absolutely incredible!"

"I knew you were going to say that" said Constantina with a smile as pushed back her hat and looked over at Mr. Anderson "But I can assure you it's the truth"

During the three weeks he had spent at the hospital, Odysseus recieved the medical attention he had lacked for years. The poor man was so severely sick and malnourished, that it was a miracle that he was still alive. So after recieving the appropriate treatment, Odysseus gained weight and began to look healthy once again. In fact his skin lost the greyish hue about two days of normal eating and drinking. Due to his underyling reputation as an insane criminal, alot of the doctors and nurses were afraid of him. The brave few who did treat him, soon realized that the reputation seemed unjustified. After all Odysseus was perfectly calm, coherent, and a far cry from the lunatic he had been made him out to be. In fact his behavior was so contradictory, that it quickly got the attention of the psychiatrists on premises. So after being evaluated by several different psychiatrists, the results were unanimous: Odysseus was completely sane.

"So if Odysseus really is sane" said Mr. Anderson who just couldn't seem to believe the entire situation "Why would Dr. Lestrange claim that he's completely insane?"

"Because Dr. Lestrange is a part of The Society" said Constantina who frowned a bit when she remembered the doctor "And now I'm certain that he's been drugging Odysseus all this time"

Even during her days in The Society, Dr. Lestrange was already a high ranking minion. After all he was the person The Viper planted in the penitentiary to make sure no secrets about The Society were revealed. So if a person came in claiming to know something, they were usually passed off to Dr. Lestrange. Naturally he would label them as insane and have them isolated from the other prisoners. Eventually these men would end up being killed if they hadn't already done it themselves. Odysseus was the only one spared, but only because The Viper wanted the recipe for his neural serum.

"I just hope Dr. Lestrange doesn't find out about this" said Mr. Anderson who was honestly outraged by the situation "Otherwise he might try to flee the country"

"While I'm happy that the truth has been discovered" said Constantina as she smiled a bit when she remembered why she had originally come in "There's still one person I'm worried about"

"Who?"

_**Ring Ring!**_

"Hello?" asked Mr. Anderson as answered the call while motioning to Constantina to give him a second "Yes this is Ulysses Anderson speaking"

When Mr. Anderson first picked up the telephone, he had a very serious look on his face. It was almost as if though he was trying to make sense of what he was listening. After a minute or so, his eyes widened and a look of surprise came across his face. He then quickly looked at his daily planner and announced that he would be free the following day. He then thanked the person, hung up the phone, and turned his attention back to Constantina. _I have a feeling that this is the person she's worried about..._

"That was a call was from the police department" said Mr. Anderson with a slight smile as he looked over at the woman "Guess what they just told me?"

"What?" asked Constantina who had a feeling that the call had something to do with either Odysseus or Amelda "Please tell me"

Now that Odysseus' sanity had been confirmed, the police knew that his testimony could be taken seriously. Even though the man claimed that he was the one responsible for the attack, they couldn't be completely certain. After all Odysseus had suffered massive blood loss and had been in such terrible shape, that it could simply be a hallucination. So in order to set things straight once and for all, the police were going to bring Amelda to Odysseus the following. Seeing the redhead could either trigger a lost memory, or prove that he had never really seen him. So if all went well, Amelda would be a free man once again. _I just hope that it's not too late..._

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for all of the reviews for the previous chapter! I really appreciate all of them. Anyways I apologize because I know that Seto was completely out of character. I also apologize for the mean little Tea bashing comment he made. Also I apologize to the Amelda fans out there, since I know I'm really being mean to him in this story. Oh just a reminder that Quetzalcoatl is kind of like The Viper's alter ego.Anyways thanks once again! Hugs and kisses people:D (hands out ice cream cones)


	25. Limbo

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, Mercedes, or any of the characters, so don't sue me:D

**Limbo**

_"It may have taken me hours" _thought the nurse as she quickly walked down a dark street tightly clutching some folders _"But now I'm finally able to prove my observations"_

Even though Dr. Lestrange was the head psychiatrist at the Maximum Security Penitentiary, he only worked from 8am to 6pm. So whenever the doctor went home, he'd leave a younger and more inexperienced psychiatrist in charge. The younger psychiatrist was afraid of working there though, and spent almost all of his time locked up in his office where he felt safe. This was perfect for the nurse though since it gave her plenty of time to dig around in the archives without fear of getting caught. After locating all of Odysseus' old records and comparing them to Amelda's, her suspicions were confirmed. Not only had both gone insane almost immediately after imprisonment, their symptoms were completely identical. She also noted that scribbled among the first few entries on Odysseus' record was the mysterious phrase "serum on the first". While the nurse had no idea what this meant, she knew that it proved that Dr. Lestrange was up to something. So despite the fact that it was almost midnight when she was done, the nurse gathered all of the folders, and headed to the one person who could help her. _I just hope that he's willing to listen to me..._

_"There's a light on in the living room" _thought the nurse as she walked up the driveway and past a silver Mercedes parked there _"So I guess he must still be up"_

**DING DONG!**

"Yes?" asked a grey haired man with a beard and glasses as he opened the door and was surprised to find an exhausted looking woman in white scrubs "May I help you?"

"Dr. DeWinters my name is Carmen St. Claire" said the nurse as she nervously looked around and hoped no one knew what she was up to "I know that you don't know me, but I need your help right now"

"You say you need my help?" asked Dr. DeWinters as he adjusted his glasses and realized that she was a nurse when he noticed that her nametag read "C. St. Claire R.N.". "Regarding what exactly?"

"I work over at the Domino Maximum Security Penitentiary" said Nurse St. Claire as she handed the yellow folders in her arms over to the doctor "And I have something that I think you should see right away"

"My goodness!" exclaimed Dr. DeWinters as he opened the top folder and realized what it contained "These are Odysseus Gardner's mental health records!"

Thanks to some friends over at the Downtown Domino Hospital, Nurse St. Claire discovered that Dr. DeWinters was currently treating Odysseus. Like Dr. Lestrange, Dr. DeWinters was one of the most respected doctors in all of Domino. Unlike Dr. Lestrange though, it was his compassionate nature and eagerness to help anyone in need that earned him this respect. Therefore it was no surprise that the doctor was one of the few doctors willing to treat Odysseus, despite his frightening reputation. Meanwhile Dr. DeWinters couldn't get over the fact that he was actually seeing the documents in his hands. After all the psychiatrists at the hospital were so baffled by Odysseus' undeserved diagnosis, that they contacted the penitentiary earlier that day and requested his mental health records. Unfortunately the penitentiary refused to release them, claiming that the records were strictly confidential. _So to have this nurse show up is practically a miracle..._

"Nurse St. Claire may I ask you something?" asked Dr. DeWinters as he momentarily closed the folder and looked at her "Why would you risk your job by bringing this to me?"

"You'll understand when you see the blue folder in the stack" said Nurse St. Claire as she pulled her purse closer to herself and gave a slight smile "Goodnight Dr. DeWinters"

Nurse St. Claire then turned around, dashed off, and quickly vanished into the cold dark night like a phantom. Dr. DeWinters glanced down at the yellow folders in his arms once again, before going back into his house and setting them down on the table. He spotted the lone blue folder at the bottom of the stack, but was confused the moment he finally pulled it out. Unlike the other folders which were labeled "Gardner, Odysseus", the blue folder was labeled "Andress, Amelda". While the doctor wasn't sure why Nurse St. Claire had included Amelda's record, he had the entire night to read all of the records and figure it out...

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ohhhh..."groaned Tea painfully as she struggled to try and open her dark blue eyes "What happened to me?"

Although Tea wasn't sure of where she was, the only thing she was certain of was that it was very cold. It was so cold in fact that it caused her entire body to feel numb to the point that she could barely move. Tea wasn't about to give up though and continued to struggle in order to get her eyes open at least. When she finally succeeded in opening them, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. _This is that weird, dark, and foggy place I always see in my dreams..._

"Well I'm obviously dreaming" said Tea as she stood up and noticed a bit of fog gently rolling in around her feet "I mean why else would I be here?"

Even as she began to walk through the unending darkness and felt the icy fog nipping at her skin, Tea felt no fear whatsoever. After having been in this place so many times before, it had a certain sense of familiarity. Also even if it was an ominous looking place, it had an added meaning to Tea. After all it was here that she had met the mysterious little boy named Miruko. Not only was he the cutest little boy Tea had ever seen, he was also the one who led her to his older brother Alister. _But of course now I know who Alister really is..._

_"Amelda..." _thought Tea as she finally saw the familiar street lamp and black metal bench in the distance _"You're the man of my dreams in more ways that one"_

Even though Tea had absolutely no memory of what had happened to her, she did remember her feelings for Amelda. She still knew that behind his mask of coldness and apathy, lay a lonely young man who had feelings for her as well. Although Tea knew that she was dreaming, she began to wonder whether she would see the redhead. Suddenly a warm breeze began to blow, causing her to turn around and look in the direction it had come from. It was only then that Tea witnessed the moment that the street lamp and bench transformed into a large vortex made of pure light. The more she looked at the hypnotic swirling of the vortex, the more aware Tea became of the fact that the light it gave off felt warm, soft, and almost comforting. _I've never felt anything so good before..._

"It feels so nice..." said Tea who was in a trance of sort as she extended her hand and felt herself walking closer and closer to the light "I'd just like to walk right into-"

"NO!" cried an unfamiliar female voice somewhere in the distance, accompanied by some rapid footsteps "PLEASE DON'T DO IT TEA!"

The sound of the voice caused Tea to snap out of the trance and caused her to move away from the mysterious light. In fact she moved backwards so quickly, that she ended up bumping right into someone. Upon turning around Tea found herself face to face with a woman that she had never seen before. She was a petite woman with neatly styled red hair, who was clad in a teal dress suit and lavender blouse. The thing that truly got Tea's attention though was just how familiar her eyes looked. They were steel grey and held a certain amount of sadness in them...like Amelda's. In fact now that Tea got a good look at the woman, she realized that she actually looked alot like him. _Who is this woman?_

"Tea even though you're being given the chance" said the redhead woman pleadingly as she looked into Tea's eyes "Please don't do it!"

"Do what?" asked Tea in a surprised tone of voice since she had no idea what the redhead woman was referring to "What are you talking about?"

"That light leads to the afterlife" said the woman who now realized that Tea had absolutely no idea of what she had nearly done "So if you go through it you'll never be able to return"

"WHAT?" exclaimed Tea whose eyes went wide and her face went completely pale upon hearing what the woman said "W-Who are you and what is this place?"

"My name is Amelia" said the redhead woman in a calm voice when she saw just how agitated Tea had gotten "And we're currently in limbo"

_Limbo? _Of all the strange dreams that Tea had in the past months, this one took the cake. Not only did it have a woman who looked like a female version of Amelda, but the claims she made were completely insane. How could she possibly expect Tea to believe that they were currently trapped between Heaven and Earth? Yet when she looked over at Amelia, she couldn't help but notice the look of seriousness and sadness on her face. Tea immediately turned away, closed her eyes, and expected to find herself curled up in bed upon opening her eyes. When opened them up again though, she saw the vortex glowing even brighter as if though it were beckoning to her. It was only then that Tea realized that wasn't a dream, and she truly was trapped at the halfway point...

"Oh my God!" screamed Tea in anguish as she suddenly threw herself onto her knees and pulled her hair "If I'm here then that means that I'm dead!"

"No you're not dead Tea" said Amelia as she immediately knelt down beside her and tried to comfort the poor girl "It's possible to be here even if you're still alive"

"But then why did that light appear?" cried Tea as she looked over at the redhead woman with a look of confusion in her dark blue eyes "It's never appeared to me before.."

The look of despair on Tea's face was something that completely broke Amelia's heart. After all she knew that the only reason the girl was even there, was because of The Viper. So without thinking, the redhead woman suddenly extended her arms and hugged Tea as if though the brunette girl were her child. While a part of her wanted to protect her by not telling her the truth, Amelia knew that Tea deserved to know. _After all she's the one who'll make the final choice..._

"The reason that light appeared to you" said Amelia who continued to hug the Tea as if though she were a little girl "Is because you've been in a coma for the past three weeks"

"What?" exclaimed Tea as she suddenly pulled herself away from the woman and looked at her in disbelief "How can I be in a coma?"

"You were stabbed in the stomach" said Amelia who seemed to be having difficulty being the one to give such awful news "And...you're dying as we speak"

As soon as Amelia uttered these words, it sparked Tea's memory and caused it to take her back to that fateful night. Once again she was forced to relive the fear she felt as she walked home, the joy she joy she felt when she ran into Amelda, the anger she felt at hearing his insane "lies", and the frustration she felt as she fled from him. The feeling of pain and terror Tea felt upon remembering her run in with Odysseus, was the most powerful of all. Especially since this encounter culminated with him stabbing her through the stomach, before turning the knife on himself. _How could I have forgotten something like this?_

"My father..." sobbed Tea whose entire body seemed to ache from the sudden surge of emotions "He tried to kill me..."

"Your father is a good man who loves you very much" said Amelia as she gazed up into the dark and unending sky "He wasn't acting under his own will though"

"Or maybe he did it because he's completely insane!" snapped Tea who couldn't get the imagine of the insane and skeletal looking Odysseus out of my mind

"No...he really is a good man and he's suffering because of what happened" said Amelia with a slightly hurt tone in her voice as she observed the frazzled teenager "Along with your mother and everyone else who loves and cares about you"

"What?"

"You'll see exactly what I mean in a moment..."

With that the redhead woman tossed her head back, extended her arms, and was immediately surrounded by a pure white light. The light continued to grow until it became so powerful that it illuminated all of limbo, completely blinding Tea in the process. Suddenly she heard the flapping of wings, felt a sudden tug on the arm, and nothing else...

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Varon must still laughing at me..." sobbed Serenity as she lay on her bed clutching a Blue Eyes White Dragon plushie "All because I was dumb enough to believe his lies for so long"

_"I can't believe dat she's still like dis after three weeks" _thought Joey as he stood outside of Serenity's bedroom door holding a large gift in his hands _"Dat bastard doesn't deserve her tears"_

Since the day that Joey confronted Varon, Serenity's life was radically changed. Tired of feeling like a sweet, naive, and trusting girl who everyone took for a fool, Serenity became extremely depressed. She didn't want to do anything, and spent most of her winter break locked up in her room crying. Mokuba had called Serenity almost every day to see how she was, but she was so depressed that their conversations were brief. Meanwhile Joey was also in alot of pain,and not just because of the fact that his fractured ribs were still healing. After all the emotional state his little sister was in was unlike anything he had ever seen, and he would have given anything to see her smile again. Oddly enough it seemed as if though someone else had the same thing in mind, since a strange thing began to happen the day after Varon was unmasked. Every single day a present would appear on the Wheeler's doorstep with a gift tag addressed to Serenity. _I guess dis is what they mean but Secret Santa..._

_"I think I finally figured out who's sending dese gifts though" _thought Joey as he observed the white bow atop the gift wrapped in ice blue paper _"It's probably his attempt ta cheer Serenity up"_

When the very first present arrived, Joey assumed that it might be Varon's way ot trying to win Serenity back. He quickly snatched it up and intended to destroy it before Serenity got a chance to see it. Out of curiosity though, he decided to open it up and see just what kind of junk the Aussie had sent. It was only then that he discovered that the gift box was from "Von Schroeder's", which meant that it couldn't possibly be from Varon. Tristan and Duke were also automatically excluded, since there was no way either of them could afford to shop at that store. After all "Von Schroeder's" prices were so ridiculously high, that shopping there was a privilege reserved for only a select few. _Like Moneybags..._

"_Of course I know dat creep didn't send dis" _thought Joey as he cringed his nose in disgust at the mere thought of Seto Kaiba _"So dat only leaves Mokuba den"_

**Knock Knock**

"What is it?" asked Serenity in a very low voice accompanied by a slight sniffle and a hiccup

"Serenity can I come in?" asked Joey who hoped that this momentary distraction would be enough to make his sister forget her troubles "Ya got another one of dese mystery gifts from your "Secret Santa" "

"What?" asked Serenity in a slightly confused tone of voice as she quickly got up and opened the door to let her brother in "Another one?"

"Yup" said Joey as he handed the gift over to Serenity who was looking very pale and extremely tired "It looks like they've gone all out with dis one"

_"It's sweet of Mokuba to send me these gifts" _thought Serenity with a slight smile which quickly faded back into a sad look _"But he shouldn't spend all of this money on me"_

Unlike Joey, Serenity figured out the identity of her "Secret Santa" since the day the first gift arrived. After all not only was Mokuba wealthy enough to afford the gifts, but the first two gifts seemed to point right back at him. For example the very first gift had been a designer backpack, obviously to replace her old one with the zipper that always got stuck. The second gift was a Blue Eyes White Dragon plushie, since Serenity had told him that she liked to collect duel monster plushies. As the days passed though, the presents seemed to be getting more fancy. So far the most expensive ones were a fancy bottle of perfume, some dangling earrings, and a pair of designer heels along with a matching purse. Just when Serenity thought the gifts couldn't get any more elaborate, she unwrapped the gift, opened the box, and found herself staring at a material containing various shades of pink. _It can't be..._

_"No..." _thought Serenity as her warm brown eyes opened in shock as she flipped the box over and realized that it was a dress _"This is one of those dresses from Constantina's fashion party!"_

"Hey dat thing looks like something from dat party" said Joey who immediately noticed the look of surprise on his sister's face "Ya know da one with da crazy ostrich dress lady!"

Serenity didn't respond at all and simply stood there staring at the dress in disbelief. Joey simply assumed that she was in shock at recieving such a gift, so he decided to leave her alone so she could enjoy it. Never would he have suspected that the real reason why Serenity had gone into shock. While it was possible that Mokuba had sent a few of the other gifts, he couldn't have sent this dress. After all nobody really knew that Serenity liked this pink dress...except for Seto Kaiba. While at first she refused to believe this, she suddenly realized that it had been so obvious all along. After Kaiba had seen her crummy old back once, and took the liberty of insulting it. Also how could she have forgotten that the Blue Eyes White Dragon was his favorite duel monster? Serenity suddenly sunk to the floor with a blank expression, and didn't know what to say or do. _I wish Tea were here right now, I need somebody to talk to..._

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

_"Please wake up already Tea" _thought Yugi as he pressed his hand against the glass seperating him from the comatose girl _"I miss you so much"_

Since the day that Tea first went into a coma, Yugi spent most of his free time at the hospital. Even though he couldn't actually go in and see her, he wanted to be there if there was any change in her health. Luckily Yugi was never really alone since there was always somebody there with him. Amneris always joined him at the window whenever she was on her way to or coming back from seeing her husband. Sometimes Joey and Tristan would accompany him, but Joey could never stay long since he didn't want to leave his sister alone for too long. Mai and Mokuba had also stopped a few times, as well as a redhead teenager that turned out to be a classmate of Tea's. Among the people who accompanied Yugi though, there were two who knew exactly why he was so devoted to Tea...

"Seeing a young woman in such a state is just wrong" said Mr. Moto who was standing between his daughter and grandson "Especially since she still has so many things to look forward to"

"Like finally getting the chance to become a dancer like she's always wanted" said Mrs. Moto somberly as she glanced over at her son " After all it's the one thing she's always talked about since she was a child"

"I would do anything to see her wake up" said Yugi whose violet eyes were filled with a look of pure pain and loneliness "But I'm not so sure that's going to happen anymore..."

"You can't lose faith at a time like this Yugi" said Mrs. Moto as she placed a hand on her son's shoulder "After all it's still possible that she can wake up at any moment"

"That's true!" said Mr. Moto with as he gently nudged Yugi in the arm as he glanced up at him "People are always going in and out of comas every single day!"

"That's only in the soap operas that you watch Daddy" said Mrs. Moto who didn't understand how her father had gotten so hooked on soap operas "Although it really is possible for Tea to pull through"

_"I don't know what I would do if you were gone Tea..." _thought Yugi as his violet eyes began to get watery from the pain he felt _"After all...I love you"_

_**Clink Clink Clink**_

A strange clinking sound was suddenly heard in the distance, causing the Motos to turn around and look. While the sound itself was almost like a chain rattling, they could also hear some footsteps approaching as well. Before long a man whom the Motos recognized as the Chief of Police appeared followed by two armed guards. Standing between the guards though, was a tall slender redhead with his hands and legs chained. After spending three weeks locked up in a dark cell, Amelda was hardly recognizable. He was extremely dirty, his hair looked like a madman's, he had lost alot of weight, and his skin was a greyish shade that almost seemed to match that of his eyes. Despite this though, Amelda had more control over his body than the previous day and was able to walk on his own. It was only when he noticed Yugi, that he decided to come to a stop. _I know exactly why you're here Yugi..._

_"I know that you're in love with Tea" _thought Amelda as he gazed straight at his rival with his haunting steel grey eyes _"Maybe even more than I originally thought"_

_"Who is this guy?" _thought Yugi as he looked at the strange and almost frightening looking man staring straight into his violet eyes _"Is he somebody I've met before?"_

_"But even though I've brought her nothing but bad luck" _thought Amelda as he intensified his gaze in a way that conveyed the sadness and frustration he felt _"I love her more than I ever thought possible"_

"HEY MOVE YOUR ASS!" shouted one of the guards in a gruff voice as he poked Amelda in the ribs with his rifle "We're on a schedule here!"

_"Schedule my ass" _thought Amelda who gave a slightly pained growl at the sudden jab to his side _"You sick bastards just like torturing me is all..."_

So after taking one final look at Yugi, Amelda continued walking in the direction of the place he was being taken to. It was only once the redhead was out of sight, that Yugi noticed that both his mother and grandfather seemed angry for some reason.

"I don't like the way that he looked at Yugi one bit" said Mrs. Moto who shook her head trying to get the image of the redhead out of her mind "Besides why would they even bring that man here?"

"I'm not sure" responded Mr. Moto who had a stern look on his face that seemed to hold a certain amount of anger "But either way I think it's in bad taste"

Due to the fact that he was spending all of his free time at the hospital, Yugi was completely behind on current events. Therefore he had no idea why his mother and grandfather seemed so outraged at the sight of the eerie looking redhead. Then again the only thing that concerned him at that moment was Tea's health. So he turned his attention back to the window, and continued waiting for her to wake from her slumber...

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

_"My life is so worthless" _thought Varon as he sat by himself on Raphael's couch with little Eatos neatly curled up on his lap _"Sometimes I don't even know why I'm still alive"_

Since the day that he believed that Serenity was gone for good, Varon's life became a living Hell. The physical injuries he acquired during his fight were Joey were extremely painful, but not as painful as losing yet another girl he cared about. Amelda's unfair imprisonment only added to his turmoil, and was enough to push him over the edge. So in an a desperate attempt to soothe the pain and forget his troubles, Varon began to drink heavily. After several days the only thing he wanted to do was lie around in bed with a bottle of tequila. While at first Raphael didn't question the fact that Varon missed several days of work, he became worried when the brunette didn't answer his calls. He knew how depressed the young man had been, so he decided to go and check up on him. It was only when Raphael found Varon passed out on his bedroom floor, that he realized how serious the problem was. Raphael knew that Varon couldn't be alone, so he took him to his apartment in order to keep a closer eye on him. _If I leave him alone, there's no telling what can happen..._

"I feel so alone and empty" said Varon quietly as he brought a hand down and stroked the white kitten on his lap "I'm tired of feeling this way..."

"Meow..."

"Just when I thought I was finally gonna be happy" said Varon as his sky blue eyes reflected the sadness and loneliness that plagued him "This had to happen..."

"Meow"

"She was beautiful, sweet, and perfect" said Varon as the image of Serenity's angelic face appeared in his memory "But...I wasn't good enough for her"

"Meow...?"

"Now she's with Kaiba and they're both probably happy" said Varon as he suddenly lowered his head and tried to hold back tears "And I'm here all alone like the worthless loser that I am..."

The memory of Serenity in Kaiba's arms was like a stab in the heart, so despite his best efforts, a single tear rolled down Varon's face. The tear fell right onto Eatos who was so startled, that she jumped off of the brunette's lap, and scurried off. Varon then let out a dejected sigh, flopped back on the couch, and began to stare at the ceiling like he had done so for the past two weeks. Meanwhile Raphael who had secretly been observing him from the kitchen, shook his head sadly at the sight before him. After all the once spunky and mischievous Varon was gone, and all that was left was a sad empty shell. It hurt Raphael to see him suffering like this, especially since there was little he could do to ease his pain...

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

_"Tea..." _thought Amneris as she sat on her bed holding a framed picture of her then two-year old daughter _"How could I have let this happen to you?"_

For the past three weeks, when she wasn't over at the hospital, Amneris spent her time at home. Now that she was completely alone in her apartment, old memories began to surface. She remembered that when they first moved into the apartment, little Tea cried alot. Not only because was it an unfamiliar place, but because Odysseus was no longer around. So Amneris would always comfort her little girl, and tell her that her daddy loved her very much. Even though Tea forgot Odysseus as the years went by, she still wanted to know about him.

_"Mommy what did daddy look like?" _echoed young Tea's voice in Amneris' memory as she gazed at the picture _"And why don't you have pictures of him? I wanna see his picture"_

_"It doesn't matter what your father looked like" _echoed a younger Amneris' voice as she remembered that conversation _"All that matters is that he loved you very much"_

_"But where is daddy?" _echoed young Tea's voice who didn't really seem content with her mother's vague answer _"Is he far away? Is he going to come back soon?"_

_"No...he's not going to come back" _echoed Amneris' sad voice as she recalled exactly where her husband was at that moment _"He was taken from us and it was the worst moment of my life"_

_"Taken where?" _echoed little Tea's voice since she could never really understand what her mother was trying to say _"Is he-"_

_"Tea I don't want to talk about this anymore" _echoved Amneris' voice in a tone that was both sad yet harsh at the same time _"So please don't ask me any more questions"_

_"I'm sorry Mommy..." _echoed little Tea's voice as Amneris recalled the look of sadness in her daughter's dark blue eyes _"I won't ask you anything else"_

Although Tea always promised to not ask more questions, she usually had a dozen new questions by the following day. Before long Amneris began to avoid her daughter's questions, by claiming to be either too tired or too busy. Usually it was true though since not only did she work full time at "Von Schroeder's", she also had to worry about rent, and the constant attempts on her life. Unfortunately Amneris' behavior made Tea think that she had done something to make her mother not love her anymore. As the years rolled by Tea still often felt this way, but was a bit more understanding about her mother's situation. Although the feelings of neglect always came back when Amneris took off unexpectedly. _I was doing it to protect her, but in the end it was all in vain..._

"A monster like me deserves to be in a coma...not you Tea" sniffled Amneris as she tightened her grip on the picture and looked at it once again "After all you're my baby and I love you more than anything..."

Even though Amneris considered herself a monster and a bad mother, her husband didn't see her this way. Although Odysseus was extremely upset about what he had done, he wanted to know everything about his daughter. So after seeing various pictures of Tea throughout the years, and hearing of her accomplishments, Odysseus felt his wife was an excellent mother. After all despite being in such a dangerous situation, Amneris worked hard, and managed to give her daughter everything she could. In fact Odysseus felt that if anyone should feel like a horrible parent, he was the one who deserved it. He had even told Amneris that very morning that he was ready to clear Amelda's name, and go back to prison in order to pay for what he did to Tea. Even though she had wanted to stay with him, Odysseus asked her to go home. _He thinks the redhead would tell the truth and get me arrested, but at this point it's exactly what I deserve..._

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"You're looking much better today Mr. Gardner" said the nurse who was checking Odysseus' blood pressure "But where's your wife?"

"She was feeling a little tired" lied Odysseus with a polite little smile since he hoped no one suspected the truth "So she decided to go home and rest"

Although Odysseus knew that the police would arrive at any minute, he was more concerned with his wife. After all Amneris was a stubborn woman and just because he told her to go home, didn't mean she'd do it. She simply could have pretended to gone home, and might in fact be right down the hall. Odysseus knew very well that he was heading back to prison, but he didn't want this for his wife. Despite everything that had happened to him, he loved Amneris and didn't want her to be arrested. Not only because he knew she'd get life in prison, but for Tea as well. After all what would happen if she were to wake up from her coma and find that her mother was in jail? Even though Tea was already eighteen, she needed her mother and vice versa. Right as the nurse was done taking his blood pressure, there was a sudden knock on the door. As soon as she opened the door, the Chief of the Domino Police Department stepped inside. He then requested Dr. DeWinters prescence, so the nurse quickly left to get him. On her way out of the room though, the nurse gasped as if though frightened by something outside. _What could possibly be so frightening?_

"Alright Odysseus, even though I've read your claims" said the Chief of Police as he stood close to the door and looked right at Odysseus "What you say today will decide your fate"

"It's not my fate I'm worried about" replied Odysseus with a slightly annoyed look on his face "It's the fate of that innocent young man being accused of this crime"

"Before you continue making the same claims" said the Chief as he put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door "I think you should at least have a look at him"

"Well all I can say is that you're wasting your time Chief" said Odysseus who observed as the chief motioned for someone to enter the room "After all I'm certain that-DEAR GOD!"

The moment that the guards brought Amelda into the room, a look of complete shock came across Odysseus' face. Even though he had never seen the redhead before, it felt as if though he were looking into some sort of mirror. Aside from also being very tall and slender, Amelda's skin was the same greyish hue that Odysseus' skin had been for many years. Then again in his case the grey skin had been a side effect of the neural serum he was given. So why would the redhead have the exact same skin color? Unless he had also somehow fallen into the hands of Dr. Lestrange and had also been given the serum. While Odysseus had no idea what Amelda could have done to end up with the doctor in the first place, he could tell that he was suffering. After all despite the fact that the redhead had a drugged look on his face, his clear grey eyes revealed what he was thinking. He was tired, hungry, and overall, he was in both phyical and mental pain...

_"Odysseus..." _thought Amelda who couldn't believe that the man lying in front of him was the same zombie-like man he found in the alley _"Please help me..."_

_"Because of The Viper, I've spent the past sixteen years of my life paying for a crime I didn't commit" _thought Odysseus as a look of pain and anger filled his dark blue eyes _"I can't let her ruin the life of yet another innocent person"_

"Judging by the look on your face I think I found what I came here for" said the Chief who shook his head, before looking at Amelda with a look of disgust "Get this criminal out of here"

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"W-What just happened?" asked Tea as she felt as she opened her eyes and felt tired as if though she had been sleeping "Why did I see all of that?"

"Everything that you just saw is what's happening on Earth right now" said Amelia who was now standing a few feet away with her back turned to Tea "I wanted you to see it before you make your choice"

It was only when Tea turned around to look at the redhead woman, that her dark blue eyes grew large in disbelief. After all now that Amelia's back was turned to her, she was able to notice something she hadn't before. Folded neatly behind the redhead woman's back was a large pair of feathered wings...like an angel. Unlike an angel though, her wings were a dull grey shade. _So is this woman an angel?_

"Tea you're a very funny girl..." laughed Amelia as a sweet and sincere smile came across her face causing her grey eyes to light up "You do realize I'll gladly answer any questions you have right?"

"What?" exclaimed Tea as a startled look came across her face since she didn't know why the woman had asked this "Were you able to read my mind?"

"No, the look on your face said it all" said Amelia as she momentarily extended her wings, before folding them again "But to answer your question...yes I am an angel"

"But then why are your wings grey?" asked Tea as she observed the wings folded behind the woman's back "I thought angels had white wings"

"They do Tea" said Amelia as a slightly sad look came across her face once again for some reason " But mine are like this because I keep refusing to cross over even though I'm already dead"

"You don't want to cross over?" asked Tea with a slightly perplexed look in her dark blue eyes as she gazed at the sad redhead woman "Why?"

"Because I've seen what's been happening on Earth for the past nine years" said Amelia very sadly as her grey eyes began to get watery "And there's no way I could ever rest...at least not until my son finds what's missing in his life"

Only now that Tea heard what the redhead woman had said and saw the look of sadness on her face, did she realize the truth. Although she had noticed the strong resemblance Amelia had to Amelda, she figured it was just a crazy dream or a coincidence. Now she knew that the reason for this was because the redheads were actually mother and son...

"I'm sorry that you have to see me like this..." sniffled Amelia as she hastily wiped her eyes with her hand "It's just that-"

"It hurts you to see Amelda suffering" said Tea in a very soft tone of voice and she walked closer to the other woman "Right?"

"Yes...it does hurt me to see him suffering" said Amelia whose expression of sadness, turned to one of concern "But it's nothing like the suffering your mother is going through"

"I don't want my mom to suffer though..." said Tea as her eyes began to fill with tears at the thought of everything she had seen "I-I-I miss her so much..."

"I think you just made your choice" said Amelia with a slight smile as she reached out and took a hold of Tea's arm "Goodbye Tea..."

"Goodbye Amelia..."

"Oh and one more thing Tea...please take care of what I love the most"

"I will..."

"Thank you..."

Immediately Amelia tossed her head back, and everything was surrounded with white light once again. Before she was completely blinded by it, the final thing Tea saw was the smile of gratitude on the redhead's face. _This is one promise I'll keep no matter what..._

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I also want to thank you guys for being patient while I got through the most boring summer semester of my life! Anyways I'm pretty sure a few people are wondering about the name I picked the name Amelia for Amelda's mother. Well the reason I picked this specific name is just to make it easy to remember who's related to who (eg. Constantina/Constantine & Alex/Alexandria). I know it seems a little silly, but I know OCs tend to get confusing at times. Also we're finally reaching the end of this story, so keep get ready for the finale next time! Hugs & Kisses as always people:D (hands out ice cream cones)


	26. Lonely No More

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, Ferrari, BMW, or any of the characters so don't sue me:D

**Lonely No More**

"Judging by the look on your face I think I found what I came here for" said the chief who shook his head, before looking at Amelda with a look of disgust "Get this criminal out of here"

The moment the chief said this, a look of disbelief filled Amelda's already tormented grey eyes. How could this man have made such a decision, simply based on the look on Odysseus' face? He didn't even bother to directly ask whether or not he had actually seen him before! The guards quickly saluted the chief, and began to drag Amelda out of the room and back to prison. It seemed that fate was once again being cruel to the redhead, but then it happened...

"STOP!" shouted Odysseus as he jumped up in his bed and extended his arm towards the police chief in shock at his actions "I've never even seen this young man before in my life!"

"You've never seen him?" asked the police chief as he raised a hand and motioned for the guards to stop what they were doing "So are you telling me that he's innocent?"

"Yes he is innocent" said Odysseus as he looked over at Amelda who looked as if though he were about to collapse from exhaustion "In fact the only real criminal in all of this is Dr. Lestrange"

As soon as Odysseus said this, a look of disbelief came across the chief's face. Not only was Dr. Lestrange a very well respected doctor, he had been the head psychiatrist at the penitentiary for over twenty-two years. So how on Earth could this man have the nerve to accuse him? Perhaps the psychiatrists at the hospital were wrong, and Odysseus really was insane. When he questioned him as to why he had the nerve to make such wild allegations, Odysseus responded by pointing to Amelda. He asked whether the redhead was under the care of Dr. Lestrange, to which the chief responded affirmatively. Odysseus then asked whether or not he found it strange that Amelda appeared to be in the exact same condition that he had been in. The police chief was about to respond, but then a blank and almost baffled look came across his face. _If that isn't proof enough, I don't know what is..._

"Dr. Lestrange is a part of The Society" said Odysseus whose dark blue eyes were now glaring straight at the chief "And he's been carrying out The Viper's orders all these years"

_"I just hope that he believes what Odysseus is saying" _thought Amelda whose grey eyes glimmered with a newfound look of hope _"Anyone who works for that woman deserves to be in jail"_

"These accusations against Dr. Lestrange are the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" exclaimed the chief of police as he snatched off his hat in disgust "They're nothing but-"

"They're nothing but the truth" said Dr. DeWinters who had been standing outside of the room long enough to hear what Odysseus had said "Dr. Hugo Lestrange is a criminal and I have the evidence to prove it"

After spending the entire night going over the folders Nurse St. Claire brought him, Dr. DeWinters finally understood her motive. Despite their age difference and their year of incarceration, both Odysseus and Amelda had gone insane almost immediately. While it was possible for a person to go insane that quickly due to trauma, there were several things that proved this wasn't the case. After going over Odysseus' records and comparing them to Amelda's, the doctor discovered that both men's symptoms were completely identical. In fact not only were they identical, but their pattern of occurence was identical as well. Therefore Dr.DeWinters was able to rule out trauma induced insanity, and began to look for another explanation. Suddenly he remembered the phrase "serum on the first" that had been scribbled on Odysseus' very first records. A serum was definitely capable of causing sudden insanity, and it seemed this was the case. The serum was most likely administered periodically, or else the effects would wear off.

"So when Odysseus lost blood, alot of the serum went with it" said Dr. DeWinters who had carefully made a list with his findings "That's why his "insanity" came to a halt"

"The serum he injected us with is the concentrated form of one made for the nervous system" said Odysseus whose dark blue eyes were now on Dr. DeWinters "I remember seeing it made when I worked at Obsidian Inc"

"I-I-I" stuttered the police chief who looked as if though someone had splashed a bucket of cold water on him "I don't know what to say..."

"I'm also certain that if I tested Amelda's blood right now" said Dr. DeWinters as he walked over to the redhead and looked at his greyish skin "That particular serum would show up in his bloodstream"

Without further hesitation the police chief looked straight at the guards, and told them to free Amelda right away. Thanks to Odysseus' testimony, the redhead was absolved of all charges and free to go. The chief then pulled his cellphone out, dialed a number, and walked out of the room. The guards quickly pulled out a set of keys, and used them to remove the chains and handcuffs that had been restraining Amelda. Once the chains were finally off, the guards gathered them up, and left the room for good. As Amelda stood there rubbing his aching wrists, he was overwhelmed with a strange feeling...almost as if though he wanted to sleep. Before he knew what was happening, he fell forward but was caught by Dr. DeWinters. Even as the doctor stood there shouting at the top of his lungs for a nurse and some orderlies to come and help him, Amelda's tired eyes were fixed on Odysseus.

"Thank you..." said Amelda in a weak tone of voice since he felt himself growing more and more tired by the second "Thank you so much..."

"I know just how much you've suffered young man" said Odysseus whose dark blue eyes were filled with an apologetic look "And I'm just sorry I couldn't help you sooner"

"You don't have to apologize..." said Amelda with a very weak little smile which seemed to be draining his last bit of strength "After all if it wasn't for you I'd still be-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the redhead closed his eyes and his body went limp in Dr. DeWinter's arms. Luckily at that moment a nurse and two orderlies arrived with a stretcher in tow. Due to Amelda's current state of health, Dr. DeWinters told them to get him to the emergency room right away. Now that everything was finally over and everyone was gone, Odysseus was left alone with his thoughts. Even though he knew that he was going back to prison, he was happy to have helped Amelda. Unfortunately he was going miss Amneris more than ever, but hopefully she would come to vist him. He also hoped that Tea would wake up, and find it in her heart to forgive him for everything he put her through. While he was extremely unhappy on one part, there was a silver lining to the situation. Now that evidence against Dr. Lestrange had come into the light, he would probably be fired, imprisoned, or both. _I'd just wish I could see the look on his face..._

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Huh?" exclaimed Tea as her eyes suddenly snapped open and she found herself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling "W-Where am I?"

As Tea slowly sat up in her bed to look around, she realized that she was in a hospital room. There was a heart monitor beeping next to her, an IV, and for some reason there was a window directly in front of her. It was only when she tried to get out of bed for a better look, that she became aware of the aching feeling in her stomach. This caused her to remembered everything that had happened, including the promise she made Amelia before leaving limbo. Without further thought, Tea jumped out of her bed and began to attempt to remove the IV needle in her hand.

_"I have to help Amelda!" _ thought Tea whose heart monitor began to beep very loudly as she struggled with the tape on the needle _"I have to tell the police that he's innocent!"_

Before long the frantic beeping of the heart monitor got the attention of a nurse, who quickly looked through the window. The moment she saw that Tea was not only awake, but out of her bed, she immediately ran to get the doctor that was treating her. Before long the doctor and several nurses rushed into the room in order to stop her. Even as they picked her up and put her back into bed, Tea pleaded and cried because she didn't want them to stop her. _They don't understand..._

"Tea please calm down!" said the doctor since she had absolutely no idea why Tea was so upset at the moment "I need to examine you!"

"You have to let me go!" cried Tea as one of the nurses pulled the sheets over her legs, while another checked her pulse "I have to get down to the police station!"

"And just why do you have to get to the police station?" asked the doctor as she looked at the heart monitor and jotted something down on a clipboard "Especially now?"

"Because I have to tell the police that Amelda is innocent!" cried Tea who felt a sharp pain in her stomach once again "He's not the one who attacked me or my father!"

"Amelda?" asked the doctor as she momentarily put her clipboard down and looked straight at the agitated girl "The redhead accused of the crime against you and your father?"

"Yes" said Tea as she winced a bit as she brought her fingers down and felt the sore spot on her stomach "I have to tell them that he didn't do it"

"Well I have news for you then" said the doctor who gave a slight smile since she had a feeling Tea would calm down upon hearing what she had to say "He was cleared of all charges just a few hours ago"

"He was?" exclaimed Tea as her dark blue eyes opened in disbelief as she looked straight at the doctor "But how?"

The doctor took a seat beside Tea and began to fill her in on what had happened. She started off by letting her know that her father had also survived the attack, and was no longer insane. An uncertain look came across Tea's face though, as she vividly remembered what had happened. The doctor continued speaking though and told her that while at first Odysseus' claims weren't taken seriously, they were once his sanity was proven. So when Amelda was brought from the penitentiary earlier that day, Odysseus' confirmed that he was innocent. She then told Tea that the redhead was also currently in the same hospital and under close medical supervision. Unfortunately the doctor couldn't tell her why, since Dr. DeWinters asked for full discretion from all of his colleagues. While Tea was worried about Amelda, she couldn't help but wonder if her father was in the same hospital. The doctor confirmed that Odysseus was in the hospital, but only until the following day. Now that he had confessed to everything, he was going to be transferred to the infirmary in the penitentiary in order to continue his sentence. Even though Tea's feelings towards her father were uncertain, she was sad to hear that he going back to prison. Suddenly some rapid footsteps were heard outside, and the door to the room flew wide open. The moment Amneris saw that her daughter really was awake, there was only one thing she could do...

"Tea!" cried Amneris as her pale green eyes immediately filled with tears as she ran towards her daughter and hugged her "Oh thank God!"

"Mom!" cried Tea whose dark blue eyes began to fill with tears of happiness upon realizing that her mother was actually there "I missed you so much!"

"Not as much as I've missed you!" cried Amneris who was gripping her daughter as tightly as she possibly could "After all I love you more than anything in my life"

"I love you too Mom..." said Tea who felt more tears of happiness roll down her cheeks upon hearing her mother's words

"Although not as much as I love you" said Amneris who smiled happily for the first time in over sixteen years "You're my little girl after all"

"Hey now that I'm awake...can I see my friends?" asked Tea with a little smile of her own as she looked at her mom and then at the doctor "I've missed them too"

"You'll be able to see your friends shortly" said the doctor as she stood up and reached over for a box of rubber gloves "But first I have to examine you"

So the doctor lifted Tea's hospital gown and began to examine her bandaged stomach. Despite this discomfort though, Tea was feeling happier than she had felt in awhile. After all not only was her mother there with her, but she now knew that she truly loved her. _It feels like everything is not only coming back into place, but as if though it's the beginning of something new..._

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"What?" shouted Seto as he sat at his desk typing with one hand, and holding a phone in the other "What do you mean the portfolio isn't ready yet?"

"I-I-I'm sorry Mr. Kaiba but I-I-I'm still w-working on it" stuttered the accountant on the other end, who felt like a leaf caught in a hurricane "B-B-But it should be done by the end of the day"

"You knew I needed that portfolio for the meeting I have with investors later today "growled Seto as he narrowed his icy blue eyes in anger "Didn't you?"

"Y-Yes sir...b-b-but I've been working as quickly as I-I can" stuttered the accountant who could almost feel the icy glare his boss was giving him at that moment "E-Especially with all the extra work w-we've had during the holiday season"

"If that portfolio isn't on my desk by end of the hour" said Seto who had completely lost all patience at that moment "Then consider yourself fired!"

With that, Seto slammed the phone down, and turned his chair around and looked out the window. Since the day that he became the CEO of KaibaCorp, Seto made it very clear what he expected of his employees. He wanted people who worked hard and efficiently, in order to change the face of the once evil company. Of course Seto decided to lead by example, oftentimes spending entire nights working on his projects. His cold and ruthless attitude was also enough to keep his employees in line, although he knew it also caused them to fear him. _But as long as they fear me, they'll do what I say..._

_"And as long as they do what I say" _thought Seto as he observed the snow coming down on the buildings of Downtown Domino _"KaibaCorp will stay at the top"_

"Hey where do you think you're going missy?" suddenly shouted Seto's secretary from somewhere outside of his office "You can't just walk in here expecting to see Mr. Kaiba!"

_"Oh great..." _thought Seto who was almost certain that his secretary had detained either a nosy reporter, a fangirl, or some other undesireable _"This is the last thing I need at a moment like this"_

"But I really need to talk to him" responded a soft and feminine voice which Seto immediately recognized "Please?"

"Mr. Kaiba doesn't want to be disturbed by the likes of you!" huffed the secretary in a very snooty tone of voice "Now get out of here before I call security and-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

At that moment the office door flew open, and surely enough there stood Serenity holding a box in her arm. The secretary immediately ran in of course, begged Seto for forgiveness, and promised to have the girl thrown out immediately. Much to her surprise though, Seto looked right at her and told her to leave his office right away and not to transfer any calls to him for the moment. So even though the woman was confused, she quickly nodded, and left for fear of incurring her boss' wrath. Once they were completely alone, Seto began to slowly circle Serenity like a lion circling it's prey...

_"So you finally figured it out?"" _thought Seto with a sly smirk on his face as he finally came to a stop directly in front of Serenity _"I knew I'd see you here sooner or later"_

"Kaiba I know that you sent this..." said Serenity shyly as she looked down at the box in her arms before holding it out towards Seto "And that's why I can't accept this"

"What?" asked Seto as the smirk on his face vanished upon realizing that she was trying to give back her latest gift "You can't accept it?"

"I also can't accept any of the other gifts" said Serenity as she continued to hold the gift box out in order for Seto to take it "Which is why I plan to give back every single one"

While at first Seto didn't look too pleased by the news, he sudden let out a little chuckle and began to circle Serenity once again. Due to the fact that he had was a rich and extremely successful businessman, Seto had women throwing themselves at him on a daily basis. While most of these females seemed to be silly teenage fangirls with a crush on him, a few were older and more ruthless. Not only did these femme fatales/golddiggers want to get their hands on Seto, they also wanted his entire fortune as well. Luckily he was never really interested in this type of woman, and paid absolutely no attention to them. So even though Seto had a feeling that Serenity wasn't interested in his money, she had just proven it. Therefore the gifts he had sent her weren't an attempt to win her over, but merely his way of getting her attention. _And it worked since I have her right where I want her..._

"So please do me a favor and take it back..." said Serenity whose warm brown eyes were now filled with a look of confusion and frustration "I'll drop off the other ones as soon as I can"

"Not only do I refuse to take this or any gift back" said Seto with a stoic expression on his face to conceal his feelings "But I still have another gift for you"

Even though he had managed to lure her there, Serenity still didn't realize Seto's true intentions. After all he had always taken a certain amount of pleasure in intimidating and humiliating her, so she was obviously confused about the situation. Without further hesitation, Seto took his hand, placed it under Serenity's chin, and tilted her face up towards himself. Even though her eyes were filled with a look of fear and confusion, her angelic face was as lovely as ever. He then leaned down a bit, pulled Serenity forward, and kissed her on the lips. Never having been kissed before she tried to scream and pull away, but Seto quickly tightened his grip on her. The more Serenity struggled, the tighter his grip became, and the more forceful his kiss became. When the kiss finally ended, she looked at him in shock, before running out of his office as quickly as possible. _I can't believe that just happened between us..._

_"So now that you know the truth Serenity" _thought Seto who wore an extremely self satisfied smirk on his face _"You should know that things aren't going to end here"_

Even though Serenity had run out leaving him all alone, Seto was still in a good mood. Although he had merely gotten a sample of what she had to offer, he now hungered for more. No female had ever managed to cause such feelings in him, so there was no way he was going to let her get away. It didn't really matter how long it took, but in the end he was going to have her no matter what...

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"You imbecile!" screamed Madame Cervantes as she slapped Dr. Lestrange so hard that she knocked his glasses off "How could you be stupid enough to let those files fall into the wrong hands?"

Thanks to her vast network of hidden spies in Domino, Madame Cervantes had access to virtually everything. So just a few minutes after Odysseus and Dr. DeWinters made their claims to the Chief of Police, her spies quickly informed her of what had happened. When the spies asked Madame Cervantes if she wanted them to warn Dr. Lestrange, she hesistated for a few moments. While she was tempted to let him be arrested for his inability to cover his tracks, she told them to tell him to see her at once. _After all if anyone's going to punish him, then it'll be me..._

"I-I'm sorry Madame..." gasped Dr. Lestrange as he quickly got down on all fours attempting to locate his glasses "I kept those files hidden in the archives and no one is allowed in there"

"Well that didn't stop them from being stolen!" growled Madame Cervantes as she took the liberty of kicking him in the ribs while he was down "And it certainly didn't stop them from ending up in the hands of that nosy doctor!"

"I would have kept those files locked in a safe Madame" said Claudius who had been standing off in a corner watching his colleague get punished "But then again I'm just the careful type"

**BUZZ!**

"What is it Nightshade?" snapped Madame Cervantes as she pressed the button on the intercom, since she was in no mood for anything "I'm in the middle of something important!"

"Madame there's a woman here to see you" replied Nightshade in her usual cold, monotone, and completely lifeless voice "She says her name is Constantina"

"CONSTANTINA?" shouted Madame Cervantes as her green eyes suddenly snapped open from pure shock

Before Madame Cervantes had any time to let it sink it, the door flew open and there stood Constantina. On this particular day though she was wearing a black dress suit, black heels, and for once she wasn't wearing a hat. Another difference was that even though Constantina always looked happy, today she looked extremely angry. As she walked further into the office, Dr. Lestrange(who finally found his glasses) and Claudius' eyes went wide in surprise. Not because Constantina was nearly identical to their master, but because they finally realized who she was. _How can Victoria have the nerve to show up here?_

"Victoria..." hissed Madame Cervantes as she clenched her teeth as she called Constantina by her true name "What the Hell do you want you wretched traitor?"

"I know that you're behind everything that's happened to Angel's family" said Victoria as she narrowed her brown eyes and pointed a finger straight at the other woman "And the fact that Dr. Lestrange is here completely proves it"

"At least I am here" said Dr. Lestrange as he continued to eye Victoria after not having seen her in so long "Unlike a certain person who betrayed our master"

"You're a spineless coward Victoria" added Claudius who had quickly taken cover behind a large plant in case things got ugly "You let yourself be influenced by that no good Angel!"

"You have alot of nerve showing up here Victoria" hissed Madame Cervantes as she looked Victoria right in the eye "Especially since you're a traitor to whom blood means nothing!"

"Does that mean you're going to kill me Valeriana?" asked Victoria as her dark brown eyes glimmered almost tauntingly for a moment "Well I guess that's all I can expect from you big sister"

"You may be my little sister by blood" hissed Madame Cervantes whose eyes were glowing ominously "But in my eyes you died on the day that you betrayed me"

"I'm not afraid of you anymore Valeriana" hissed Victoria as she narrowed her eyes and gave her a threatening glare "And I swear that one day I'll stop you from harming more innocent people"

"Don't be so confident Victoria" said Madame Cervantes as her red lips suddenly curled into an evil smile "After all now that the Crimson Night is approaching, Constantine might just 'vanish' mysteriously"

Even though she hadn't been in The Society for many years, Victoria knew exactly what her sister was referring to. The Crimson Night was a period of time in which various members of The Society tried to earn the privelege of being the top assassin. During this time dozens of innocent people were kidnapped and killed by the assassins in an attempt to showcase their cruelty for The Viper. In the end, whoever proved the be the cruelest, would earn the coveted spot serving their master. It was also during her a Crimson Night, that Amneris managed to become the top assassin...

"Actually you're the one who shouldn't be so confident" said Victoria as she looked straight at the Quetzalcoatl figurine sitting on the desk "And believe me when I say that you haven't seen the last of me"

Victoria then turned around, gave her sister a defiant look, and calmly walked out of the office as if though nothing had happened. Madame Cervantes was so furious at that point that she unwillingly caused Quetzalcoatl to awaken. Never having witnessed the small serpent coming to life, Dr. Lestrange and Claudius stared at it in disbelief. As Quetzalcoatl crawled towards her, The Viper quickly snatched it up and looked right into it's glowing green eyes. _I'm going to destroy you Victoria and everything that you hold dear..._

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm so happy that all of you guys are here!" exclaimed Tea who was completely overjoyed to have her friends there with her "I've missed you so much"

After the examination by the doctor was complete, she had Tea moved to another room. She had only been in her new room for a few minutes, when a knock was heard and the door opened. Much to her delight, there stood Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Mai, although Serenity wasn't with them. She immediately threw her arms opened and was quickly engulfed in some of the tightest hugs she had ever recieved. Joey, Tristan, and Mai quickly pulled up some chairs and began to chat away excitedly. Yugi on the other hand quietly took a seat and could only stare at Tea in silent awe...

_"I've never been so happy" _thought Yugi as his violet eyes were filled with an overwhelming look of joy as he looked at Tea _"Seeing her alive and well is a miracle"_

"And we've missed ya too Tea" said Joey who was currently sitting in one of the chairs beside Tea's bed "It just hasn't been da same without ya"

"Yeah it really was weird not having you around" said Tristan with a playful grin as he sat in the chair beside Joey's "After all there was nobody there to hit us whenever-"

**SLAP!**

"Ow!"

"Is dat better?" asked Joey with a huge mischievous grin plastered across his face as he snickered "Or da ya want some more?"

"You're gonna pay for that wise guy" muttered Tristan as he began to rub the side of his head "Just wait til we get outside!"

"It's so good to have you back hon" said Mai who was trying her best not to slap both Joey and Tristan for behaving like children "We've all really missed you alot"

"Yeah ya shoulda seen Yuge, Tea" said Joey as his eyes traveled over to Yugi who had been quietly sitting there looking at Tea "He's spent most of his free time here in da hospital just watchin' over ya"

"Huh?" exclaimed Yugi as he finally snapped out of his thoughts and turned completely red when he realized what had been said _"Why did he have to say that right now?"_

"Don't be so modest Yugi" said Tristan as he reached over and patted Yugi on the back "Not alot of people would've done that"

"Is that true Yugi?" asked Tea with a surprised look on her face and genuine curiosity in her dark blue eyes "Were you really here all of that time?"

"Y-Yes..." said Yugi nervously as his face continued to get redder and redder as Tea and everyone else looked at him "I really was here"

"Then I really appreciate what you did Yugi" said Tea as a smile appeared on her face and her eyes sparkled happily "I'm lucky to have a friend like you"

_"Friend?"_

Even though Yugi deeply cared about Tea and considered her his friend, his other feelings for her were stronger than ever. Having spent the majority of his life as the shy and mild mannered friend, he no longer wanted to be just this. Now that Yugi had come so close to losing Tea, he was not about to remain silent for another moment. For years he longed to tell her just how much he loved her and how far he was willing to go in order to make her happy. After all deep down in his heart, Yugi had always had a feeling that he and Tea would always be a part of the other's life. Now as he gazed into those beautiful dark blue eyes, he knew that the time had come to tell her. _It's not or never..._

"Tea...I have something I need to tell you" said Yugi as he rose from his seat, walked over to her, and knelt beside her "Tea...I-"

**Knock Knock**

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything" said Amneris with a smile as she suddenly opened the door up and peered inside "Anyways look who's here to see you Tea"

"TEA!" cried Alex as he suddenly walked into the room and was completely overjoyed when he saw her sitting up

"Alex?" cried Tea as she suddenly extended her arms, causing the redhead to run straight towards her and give her a hug "ALEX!"

"I was so worried about you Tea..." said Alex whose grey eyes were filled with emotions as he held her as tightly as he could "And I've missed you so much..."

"I missed you too Alex..." said Tea who was completely overcome with joy at seeing yet another one of her friends "Although I don't mind having missed class..."

"Hey I don't blame you!" laughed Alex as his face quickly turned to it's usual look of perpetual happiness "Anyways I really am happy to see that you're alright"

"Hey Yuge?" asked Joey who had been curious to know what Yugi had been about to say to Tea "So what'd ya wanna tell Tea?"

"Oh...uh" said Yugi whose violet eyes suddenly opened wide with a look in them reminiscent of pure terror "It was nothing important..."

"Are you sure Yugi?" asked Tea as she momentarily looked over at Yugi whose violet eyes displayed some unusual emotion "It seemed like something very important"

"No it's alright..." lied Yugi who forced himself to give a little smile so she wouldn't suspect what he had wanted to tell her "It can wait..."

Even though Yugi had been ready to tell Tea the truth, all it took was a single redhead to bring his plans down. When Amneris had first interrupted him, he was still willing to go ahead and tell Tea the truth. The appearance of Alex though, completely caused Yugi to lose his nerve. After seeing the way the overzealous hug the redhead gave Tea, there was just no way he could bring himself to reveal his true feelings in front of everyone. _I might not have told her today, but I swear that I'll tell her when the time is right..._

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Stupid snow..." muttered Stan as he stood there staring at his black Ferrari which was now halfway buried in fresh snow "Now what am I supposed to do?"

After spending an entire day taking final exams, Stan was feeling fairly good and confident. Then again he hadn't really had to study at all, and simply talked people into giving him the right answers. In fact Stan knew that he was going to get in "A" on his chemistry, since he had gotten Alex as a lab partner. Unfortunately the redhead knew his habits, and sat far away from him during their final exam earlier that day. Either way Stan knew that he was passing the class, and that was enough to put him in a good mood. Unfortunately his mood changed when he got out to the parking lot and found that his car and several others, were now buried in snow. _Crap and I can't even dig it out since I don't have a shovel..._

"Then again would I really want to dig it out like some low class lowlife?" said Stan as he tried to figure out the easiest approach to the situation "I guess I'll just call a tow truck"

"Maybe all you need is a little push" came a female voice as a car came to a stop directly behind Stan "Maybe I can give you a little hand"

"What?" said Stan as his green eyes wide upon realizing exactly who the person in the car was "Arielle?"

"Aww poor Constantine" asked Arielle who had a wicked grin on her face and an evil twinkle in her blue-green eyes "Don't worry I'll help get your car out"

"I don't need your damn help!" shouted Stan who knew that look and realized that nothing good awaited "Now leave me-AHHHHHHHH!"

Before Stan knew what had happened, Arielle hit the gas in her BMW and charged straight towards him. He immediately screamed, jumped out of the way, and heard a loud crashing sound. As soon as Stan looked up, he screamed upon realizing that Arielle had crashed head on into his beloved Ferrari. Now the front end of his car was completely destroyed, but her car was equally damaged. Then again judging by evil grin on Arielle's face as she got out of her car, it was a small price to pay in order to see him suffer. _This is the least you deserve you backstabbing bastard..._

"Ooops..." said Arielle with a little mocking laugh as she began to walk towards her former friend "Sorry about that Constantine..."

"You psycho bitch!" screamed Stan as his green eyes filled with rage as she walked up to him "What the Hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm just paying you back for what you did to me" said Arielle as her tone of voice darkened immediately and her eyes filled with rage "Nobody betrays me like that without paying for it!"

Still not satisfied with having destroyed his car, Arielle tackled Stan as hard as she could and knocked him flat on his back. Once he was on the ground, she jumped on him and began to claw his face in pure rage. Stan managed to kick her off and pull himself onto his knees, but it was only then that saw blood drip onto the snow. As soon as he brought his hand up to his handsome face, he realized that his face was bleeding. Seeing this caused Stan to completely lose it, and he immediately looked up at Arielle with rage. Unfortunately the moment he did, the last thing he saw was her high heeled foot coming straight towards his face. Even as Stan lay unconscious in the snow, Arielle kicked one last time, before getting in her wrecked car and driving off. _Now we're even..._

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

_"I can't believe how different everything feels now" _thought Amelda as he stood in the middle of the park silently gazing up at the crescent moon in the winter sky _"Will my life ever be the same again?"_

About a week and a half had passed since Amelda was found innocent, but he had only been out of the hospital about three days. Even though it was a cold Christmas eve, he put on his black trenchcoat, and walked over to the park for the first time in over a month. Despite the fact that it was a beautiful night with a star filled sky and snowflakes gently falling, Amelda didn't really seem to notice. After all even though he was set free, had his name cleared, and was even given the reward money for Odysseus' capture, nothing felt the same anymore. _That money is just the police's attempt to make me forget everything that happened..._

_"That's why I don't want a cent of that money" _thought Amelda as his trenchcoat blew in the cold wintery breeze _"And why I plan to give it to those who really need it"_

Amelda's feelings were certainly justified, especially when he remembered his week at the hospital. When Dr. DeWinters finally got a chance to examine him, he was shocked at just how injured and malnourished he had become in three weeks. He immediately ordered a blood test, and surely enough the serum Odysseus spoke of showed up in his blood. While this completely incriminated Dr. Lestrange, unfortunately he managed to escape before the authorities could capture him. Either way Dr. DeWinters began to give Amelda small doses of another serum in order to neutralize the one in his blood. Within a week of treatment, not only did Amelda's skin lose the greyish hue, but his mind felt completely clear once again. Of course by this point he was tired of being in the hospital, and wanted to go home already. At first Dr.DeWinters was hesitent about releasing him, but agreed only if he promised to get plenty of rest. The moment that he finally arrived home though, he realized just how different things were...

_"I've never seen Varon like this" _thought Amelda as he momentarily gazed back in the direction of where he lived _"It feels as if though I'm living with a complete stranger"_

While Varon was happy to have Amelda back home, he didn't really seem to show it. The once cheerful and sometimes hyperactive Aussie, was now extremely depressed and spent all of his time sulking alone in his room. It was as if someone had completely drained the life of out him and left behind an empty shell. While at first Amelda had no idea what was going on, a call to Raphael was all it took for him to understand the situation. He found out just how long Varon had been depressed, how extreme it had gotten, and that the cause of it was the loss of the girl he liked. As soon as Amelda heard this, for once in his life he could relate since he had also lost the girl he cared about. So far the only thing he knew was that Tea had also been released from the hospital, but he hadn't had the chance to see her.

_"Even though I want to see her more than anything" _thought Amelda as he let out a sigh and saw his breath appear in the icy air before him _"I'm pretty sure that she never wants to see me ever again"_

The last time that Amelda had really seen and spoken to Tea, was when he revealed the truth about Odysseus. Things went very badly since she believed that he was playing some sort of cruel trick on her. It became even worse when he tried to prove his feelings for her, since it earned him a kick in the stomach along with her hatred. Now that everything was over, Amelda began to realize just how lonely and incomplete his life truly was. As he stood there pondering, he began to hear some footsteps in the distance, but didn't pay much attention. It was only until he realized that the footsteps were approaching him, that he decided to turn around and look. When he did, he found himself looking at a small figure dressed in a white jacket with a fur trimmed hood, white leggings, and white boots. While at first he wasn't certain of who it was, that changed the moment she pulled off her hood...

"Tea..." said Amelda as his steel grey eyes opened up in disbelief since he couldn't believe that she was actually there _"I never thought I'd see you again"_

"Amelda..." said Tea who looked extremely sad at that moment and whose dark blue eyes were filling with tears "I-I-I..."

"What is it?" asked Amelda when he realized just how upset she seemed to be getting for some reason "What's wrong Tea?"

"Please forgive me Amelda!" cried Tea as she suddenly threw herself into his arms and began to cry hysterically "I never wanted any of this to happen to you..."

Even though she had felt bad when she found out that Amelda had been framed, she didn't know the whole story. It was only on the day after she had woken up from her coma, that she discovered the truth. On that day Amneris showed up looking extremely upset, so Tea asked her what was wrong. Her mother told her that several minutes before, Odysseus had been transferred back to the penitentiary. At that moment Tea decided to ask her mother whether it was true that her father was now sane. Amneris nodded and told her it was true, but decided to tell her what Dr. DeWinters had found. She told her daughter that the real reason Odysseus had gone insane in the first place was because of chemical he had been injected with. In fact it probably never would have been discovered if not for the fact that Amelda had also gone mysteriously insane. The moment Tea heard this, she was completely overwhelmed with guilt and sadness. Not only because of the suffering her father had gone through, but because Amelda went through the same thing. At this point Alex told Tea everything that his father had found, and now she knew just how much physical and psychological torture the redhead had actually endured...

_"If only I had believed you" _thought Tea as she continued to sob hysterically with her face buried in the front of Amelda's shirt _"Then none of this would have happened"_

For the past week and a half, whenever Tea remembered the night of the attack, she would cry. After all if only she had believed Amelda, she wouldn't have been attacked, and he wouldn't have been arrested. Unfortunately she didn't believe him and because of this, he was forced to endure a cruel and undeserved punishment. So even though it was Christmas eve, Tea was too upset to enjoy it, and decided to go for a walk in the park. It was during this walk that she spotted the trenchcoat clad redhead, and decided to approach him. While she had been almost certain that Amelda would tell her that he hated her and never wanted to see her again, he didn't. Instead he wrapped his arms around her body, gently tilted her face up, and wiped away her tears. _I don't want to see you cry like this..._

"You don't have to apologize to me Tea" said Amelda as he gazed into those sad looking dark blue eyes "None of this was your fault"

"It is my fault Amelda..." sobbed Tea who felt her eyes beginning to water up again as she looked into his grey eyes "And I'll never forgive myself for what you had to go through..."

"I've never blamed you for what happened" said Amelda who had no idea that this was exactly how Odysseus felt about his wife "And I never will"

"But I didn't listen to you that night..." sniffled Tea who felt that she didn't deserve his kindness after the way she treated him "And that's why everything happened..."

"None of that matters anymore" said Amelda who actually felt that he should be the one apologizing to her for what had happened "It's all a thing of the past now"

"But-"

At that moment Amelda leaned down and gave Tea a very gentle kiss on the lips, to which she responded immediately. Everything about this kiss felt so perfect, that it quickly became the most passionate one they had ever exchanged. After all for the first time in their lives, it felt as if though they truly belonged together. So even when their kiss was over, they felt closer than they ever had before. _I hope this feeling never ends..._

"Now that you're here with me" said Amelda with a sincere look in his eyes as he told her how he truly felt "I feel as if though I finally have something to live for"

"And I feel as if though this is our chance for a new beginning" said Tea whose look of sadness was long gone, and was replaced with a smile "This time with no misunderstandings, and more importantly: no soccer balls to the head"

"Okay..." said Amelda with a very rare smile, as he remembered his somewhat unusual talent "No soccer balls to the head"

"I love you Amelda"

"I love you too Tea"

After everything that they had been through at this point, they felt that they could face anything in the world. So after exchanging another kiss, they embraced affectionately, and looked up at the starry wintery sky together...

**The End**

Author's comments: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! You guys are the greatest ever! Ahh I know everyone was completely OOC , but we've officially reached the end of the story...although we're not through! "The Lady In Black" is actually only the first half of the story. The final half is called "Poisoned Heart, Poisoned Mind", and it should be coming soon :). Anyways thanks again for all your support! Hugs and kisses people! (tosses confetti in the air) :D


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